Château Montrose 2016/2017/2021/2023

Château Montrose 2023 is widely considered one of the most impressive and successful wines of the 2023 Bordeaux vintage. This prestigious Deuxième Grand Cru Classé from Saint-Estèphe stands out for its monumental, structured profile and huge ageing potential.

The Wine Advocate
RP 99+

Reviewed by: William Kelley

Just as it showed from barrel, the 2023 Montrose is one of the most impressive wines of the vintage. It unfurls in the glass with an intense, reserved bouquet of cassis, violets and smouldering embers. Full-bodied, with extraordinary density and depth at the mid-palate, supported by a core of concentrated fruit, abundant but extremely refined tannins and vibrant acidity. Broad, penetrating and persistent, it's a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

This is a very serious wine with considerable structure. Although it will certainly need some patience before it peaks, today's more precise extraction and ageing choices mean you no longer have to wait 20 to 30 years to enjoy it, as was often the case here in the past. Even so, I'm convinced the 2023 will have longevity comparable to the house's great historic classics.

This vast estate, overlooking the Gironde estuary in Saint-Estèphe, makes some of Bordeaux's greatest and longest-lived wines. Over the past 15 years it has benefited from continuous, intelligently targeted investment. As well as an entirely new winery and cellars, major work has been done in the vineyard.

In 2023, Montrose was largely spared from mildew, receiving less rain than many other estates in June. Harvest ran from 5 to 28 September. As in 2022, this year's grand vin comes exclusively from the gravels of the Terrace 4 parcel in front of the estate, the historic heart of the Montrose terroir.

Published: 9 April 2026.

Château Montrose 2023 achieved a perfect 100 points from James Suckling, in a review the critic himself called one of the most striking of his career. With more than four decades of tasting Bordeaux, Suckling said: “I haven't tasted a Montrose like this in 42 years of my career”.

In his review he highlights an aromatic profile of enormous depth and elegance, with notes of lavender, violets, graphite and blackcurrant. For the critic, this wine is the purest expression of Montrose's identity, combining aromas and flavours of blackberry, blackcurrant, crushed stone and earthy nuances.

On the palate it's medium to full-bodied, with a more vertical, precise structure than is usual for the estate. The tannins come in successive layers, giving depth, texture and impressive persistence.

Suckling also underlines the wine's extraordinary intensity, saying its “muscular structure and intensity are out of this world”, while the purity of fruit is simply “dreamy”.

The Wine Advocate
RP 97

Reviewed by: William Kelley

The remarkable 2021 Montrose gets my nomination for "wine of the vintage" in the Médoc. Soaring from the glass with a deep bouquet of cassis and dark berries, intertwined with subtle notes of mint, orange, pencil shavings and spice, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered, multidimensional core of fruit supported by beautifully ripe, refined tannins.

It concludes with a long, resonant finish, completely transcending the limitations of the year. This young classic, reminiscent of the estate's 1996 but far superior, is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Published: 8 February 2024.