Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of clarity and freshness in this one, with raspberries, light toast, chocolate and dried flowers. Medium body. Salty. Crunchy and lightly chewy, with limestone firmness. 75% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Drink or hold.
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Decanter
Earthy aromas, smoked soil, liquorice, blackcurrant leaf, dark chocolate and violets. This strikes a tone with its vibrancy and energy in the glass, there is such life here, the acidity to the fore but so well balanced with the crisp fruit and also touches of herbs and dried flowers that give this nuance. I like the upfront, bold nature, really saying; "look at what I've got’" but at the same delivering it so clearly and in balance with that clarity and grip all the way through and a lift - still the juicy strawberry on the finish. Good delivery and persistence with just a touch of green pepper on the finish. 43,000 bottle production. Ageing 50% new oak.
Barrel Sample: 91 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Montlandrie, a blend of 75% Merlot (picked between the 30th of September and the 8th of October), 20% Cabernet Franc (picked on the 4th of October), and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (picked on the 7th of October), reveals a dark, somber character with aromas of spices, pencil lead, licorice and wild dark berries. Enrobing and structuring with a medium-bodied palate, it’s elegantly concentrated with a fleshy core of fruit and a mineral, saline finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
One of the standouts of the Durantou family releases is the 2021 Château Montlandrie, which is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from the limestone soils in the Castillon region, just east of Saint-Emilion. Ripe black cherries, bay leaf, spice, spring flowers, and a kiss of classic limestone chalky minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with a layered, balanced, nicely concentrated style that will evolve for at least 8-10 years. This soft, supple, already delicious 2021 is well worth your time and money.
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.
Though the region is larger than many of its Right Bank neighbors, it is one that consistently produces high quality, well-valued red wines. In fact, Cotes de Castillon can almost be considered a geographical eastern extension of St. Emilion, producing similarly-fashioned reds based on Merlot.
Vineyards in the region’s clay, limestone and sandstone soils produce sturdy red wines. On alluvial terraces, in vineyards closer to the Dordogne River, wines tend to be more supple and fruity. In either case, a great Cotes de Castillon red will be bursting with raspberry, plum and blueberry, have an enticing bouquet of dried flowers and a finish that is plush and opulent.