Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted at the Montrose vertical in London, I think I was as surprised as Hervé Berland when the 1985 Montrose performed above expectations. Picked between 25 September and 9 October, it is mature in color with some bricking on the rim. The palate is a little rustic with red berries intermingling with bacon fat, singed leather, bay leaf and a slither of dried orange peel. The palate is very well balanced, fleshy in keeping with the style of the vintage, not as complex or as structured as the 1986, but certainly superior to the 1982 Montrose, with an effortless, nonchalant finish that beckons you back for another sip. Just a delicious Saint Estèphe that is à point. Tasted June 2016.
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.
Deeply colored, concentrated, and distinctive, St. Estephe is the go-to for great, age-worthy and reliable Bordeaux reds. Separated from Pauillac merely by a stream, St. Estephe is the farthest northwest of the highest classed villages of the Haut Medoc and is therefore subject to the most intense maritime influence of the Atlantic.
St. Estephe soils are rich in gravel like all of the best sites of the Haut Medoc but here the formation of gravel over clay creates a cooler atmosphere for its vines compared to those in the villages farther downstream. This results in delayed ripening and wines with higher acidity compared to the other villages.
While they can seem a bit austere when young, St. Estephe reds prove to live very long in the cellar. Traitionally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, many producers now add a significant proportion of Merlot to the blend, which will soften any sharp edges of the more tannic, Cabernet.
The St. Estephe village contains two second growths, Chateau Montrose and Cos d’Estournel.