History
The story of Montrose, written by three families of owners over twocenturies. As pioneers in the Médoc, visionary builders and astute managers, they tended and got the best out of its unique terroir.
Théodore Dumoulin
He discovered the patch of heathland that everyone had forgotten about. In 1815, he planted the vineyard and built the necessary facilities to operate the estate and make the wine. 1855 marked the birth of a Grand Cru with the inclusion of Château Montrose in the official classification, a spectacular achievement for a vineyard barely 40 years old.
Encouraged by this success, Etienne Théodore Dumoulin continued to expand his vineyard. On his death in 1861 he left his heirs an estate spanning 95 hectares (234 acres), its current size.
Mathieu Dolfus
He acquired Montrose in 1866 and began to reorganise the estate. Designer of the “Montrose village” with its squares and streets, he had a huge influence on the life of the estate. A visionary entrepreneur, he managed to halt the scourge of phylloxera by installing a windmill which pumped water from an underground well and flooded the land, saving the vineyard. The windmill, preserved by successive generations of owners, is now one of the symbols of Montrose.
Jean-Louis Charmolue
From 1896 to 2006, following in the footsteps of Mathieu Dollfus the builder after his death in 1886, the Charmolüe family guided the estate along the path of stability and excellence.
The Terroir
Blessed with undisputed natural assets combined with advantages nurtured over the centuries, Château Montrose has one of the region’s most privileged winegrowing terroirs. The Montrose terroir corresponds to what geologists call “elite cores”. Over millions of years, a complex process of geological layering resulted in the creation of outcrops, ideal for making fine wines and ensuring natural drainage towards the estuary.
The soil on these terraces consists of gravel mixed with sand on the surface over a clay-rich subsoil in which natural reserves form at depth, providing the vines with the water they need.
At Château Montrose, the largest parcel is two hectares (five acres), the smallest only a few hundred square metres, but each has its own personality, its own particular soil or subsoil, and vines whose age, yield, variety or rootstock are different from those of its neighbour. In the end it is the wine itself which, in its own way, brings this amazing patchwork together, since it is both the result and the synthesis of each micro-terroir.
Five kilometres north of Pauillac in Saint-Estèphe, the northernmost appellation in the Médoc, Château Montrose is situated on a very well-drained and ideally exposed gravelly outcrop which runs for over a kilometre along the Gironde estuary.
The presence of a broad estuary, the largest in Europe, has a decisive effect on the local microclimate. Montrose is one of the few estates to enjoy such a highly privileged situation.
The proximity of this vast water mass acts as a natural regulator. It attenuates the excessive cold which can be so devastating in the form of spring frosts,
and it tempers the destructive effect of heatwaves which starve the vines and grapes of water in the height of summer. That is why the Montrose vineyard escaped the frost in 1991 and the development of botrytis during the 2013 harvest.
Montrose’s situation, on an outcrop overlooking the estuary, is precious to the vineyard because of its exposure to wind and sun. The rows of vines are planted north-south, enabling the grapes to take full advantage of the sun throughout the day. The dominant north-west winds dispel excessive humidity when it rains.
The mix of grape varieties at Montrose, with Cabernet Sauvignon predominant (60% of the vines), is typical of the finest Médoc estates. Cabernet Sauvignon gives its best on warm, gravelly and permeable soil with clay subsoil which helps to store the water the vines need in drought conditions. The Garonne gravel terroirs found at Montrose are its preferred home.
Parcels of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (2%) are also planted where the soil suits them best, enabling the grapes to reach full maturity and express the complexity typical of the terroir.
Each variety is planted on the terroir, in the parcel and with the density that will optimise its qualities.
At Montrose, Merlot brings a gentle, feminine touch along with silky tannins and aromatic flavours. Cabernet Franc is a very high-quality variety, known for its elegant aromas, which gives fresh and complex wines, while Petit Verdot brings colour, along with pleasant spice and pepper flavours.
Vinification
After an initial selection in the vineyard during picking, the grapes are brought to the vat-house. The individual grapes are then sorted optically and again by hand before being finally transferred to the vats. The wines are vatted for 25 days at most, respecting the fruit and the substance. All the lots are kept separate after running-off so that all the different profiles of the vat wines are available for blending. Blending tastings start in December. All the samples – nearly 60 different lots – are tasted and classified according to their style and profile. They are then selected and blended according to the personality sought for each wine.
From January, each vintage is barrel-matured in a specific barrel hall.
The Premium Wine, Château Montrose, is matured for 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels from eight different coopers.
For the second wine, La Dame de Montrose, the proportion of new barrels is 30% and the wine is matured on average for 12 months.
The Saint-Estèphe de Montrose is matured for 12 months in 20% new barrels.
During the maturing process the wines are racked every three months or so. The traditional method used at Montrose involves transferring the wine from one barrel to another by gravity so that the clear wine can be perfectly separated from the lees which settle naturally at the bottom of the barrel.
Fining is carried out in barrels in the traditional way, with fresh egg whites, in order to refine the wine and soften the tannins.
Chateau Montrose Saint-Estèphe 2ème Cru Classé
Overview: The result of rigorous selection at each stage of production, in both the vineyard and the winery, this great, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon wine is typical of the Saint-Estèphe appellation. Structured and tannic but with all the elegance and refinement of a Grand Cru Classé, with time it develops a delicate and complex bouquet. This wine has considerable aging potential and is exceptionally long-lived. Certain vintages (1921, 1929, 1982, 1990, 2009) are considered legendary.
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Aging: Matured for 18 months in 60% new oak barrels, the premium wine accounts on average for 55% of the estate’s total production.
Tasting Notes: Dense and profound color. Complex nose delivering aromas of morello, blond tobacco and chocolate. Slightly wooded. Long and full on the palate with aromas of morello, raspberry, mocha. Supple and long finish on neat and coated tannins. Balanced and harmonious. The tasting was very homogeneous, soft and silky.
La Dame de Montrose
Overview: Made to the same rigorous standards as the first wine, from grapes grown in the same vineyard, La Dame de Montrose is the estate’s second label. Consistently reliable and reaching maturity sooner, the wine was created in 1986 in tribute to Yvonne Charmolue, who ran Château Montrose single-handedly from 1944 to 1960.
Annual Production: Production varies from year to year but accounts on average for 30% of the total production of the Montrose vineyard.
Aging: It is matured for 12 months in 30% new oak barrels.
Tasting Notes: Supple and silky Merlot generally predominates in the varietal mix. Its very pronounced red fruit aromas and flavors reflect another expression of the terroir in a distinctive style which is less elaborately complex than that of the first wine.
Tertio De Montrose
Overview: Third blend made from batches of the younger vines and the lees wines, the Tertio de Montrose is produced on the exceptional terroir of Château Montrose and vinified by its teams. Named Saint-Estèphe de Montrose when created in 2008, it was renamed Tertio de Montrose in 2016. This wine is made with the same quality requirements as the Grand Vin and La Dame de Montrose selections. Typical of the Bordeaux blends, it can be enjoyed in its early years.
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Harvest: Mid-September
Aging: 12 months in barrels (of which 15% are new)
Winemaker Tasting Notes: “The color is a beautiful cherry red. The nose reveals aromas of red fruit accompanied by some spicy and lightly smoky notes. The attack, full and round, reveals beautiful freshness on the palate.”