2024, Château Montrose, SAINT-ESTÈPHE, 2ème Grand Cru ClasséLast year EP $264. 00 This great second growth vineyard is majestically situated overlooking the Gironde. In 2024 the wine comes only from the vines of "terrace 4" the heart of the Montrose vineyard, with a cpage of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The 2024 Montrose is a serious, muscular effort that numbers among the wines of the vintage. Unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, burning embers, cigar wrapper and iris,

Always 3 harvests here – top

grilled herbs

The 2020 Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse was tasted both as a sample sent to my home in the UK and then just a couple of days later at the château itself with new co-proprietor Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse

Deep garnet-purple coloured with showy notes of raspberry coulis

This is a fascinating Les Perrières

The parcel for the 2023 Corton Clos-du-Roi Grand Cru sits toward the top of the vineyard on limestone and white marl soils - no clay

Dark damson colour

raspberry puree

The vintage trace comes through in notes of tobacco

mostly in foudres and wood uprights

31ha of vines

ripe and tensile