Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Supple and succulent, really quite rich and dense in the mouth, lovely concentrated blackcurrant and fragrant black cherry fruit. Rich and full, with prominent tannins but they're so finely detailed and plump, giving a soft bounce and energy or the palate. Supremely well worked, a clear stand out, lovely delicacy yet really delivers the punch and power you want from this vintage. Excellent! Clean and crystalline, leaves such a moreish flavour. Harvest 14-29 September. Yield of 24hl/ha. Ageing in French oak for 18 months, 30% new. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
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James Suckling
A refined and polished young Margaux with berry, chocolate, walnut and hazelnut aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, it has juicy fruit and a subtle and elegant finish. Savory and velvety. Best Monbrison in a long time. Drink after 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Smoky red and black fruits, spicy wood, tobacco, and incense notes emerge from the 2022 Château Monbrison, a classy, complete, medium to full-bodied Margaux. I love its overall balance, and it has plenty of mid-palate depth as well as polished tannins. Based on 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in barrel, give it 3-5 years and enjoy over the following 15+.
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Wine Enthusiast
A fine wine, with dark chocolate density and ripe tannins, this is juicy and structured. Its black coffee and licorice aromas are intense, leading to succulent black currant fruits and ripe, firm tannins. Drink the wine from 2029.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.