Château Montrose 2022

Wineadvocate

The 2022 Montrose is such a compelling wine that assigning it a bracketed score seems a mere formality. A brilliant terroir, impeccable viticulture, perfectly timed harvest dates and judicious extraction have aligned to deliver a monument in the making, reminiscent of a far purer, more precise, modern-day version of the 1990 vintage at this address. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, violets, iris, pencil lead and cigar wrapper, it's full-bodied, deep and authoritative, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, elegantly muscular core that's framed by supple, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, this only confirms Montrose's status as a de facto first growth and unquestionably one of the contemporary Médoc's very greatest estates. - WK 04/2023

Vinous

The 2022 Montrose was picked 2 to 22 September comprising all four grape varieties and all the Cabernet Franc, with 13% pressed wine, matured in 60% new oak. There is 14.5% alcohol this year, which is less than 2018. It has an extremely pure nose with black cherries and blueberry. Quite floral in style with hints of blood orange percolating through with time. The palate is very precise with exceptional mineralité and tension. Very focused, superb concentration, with what is becoming Montrose's trademark sense of symmetry and sustained aftertaste, this could be the finest Saint-Estèphe in 2022. - NM 04/2023

Beck

Superbe intensité du bouquet, qui offre une magnifique symbiose entre fraîcheur, charme et maturité. Les épices douces, les nuances végétales, l'éclat du fruit, les notes de menthe, la réglisse et une multitude d'autres éléments soulignent la complexité du bouquet, qui est de surcroît d'une grande précision. L'attaque est précise également, pertinente et elle annonce un vin majestueux. Que de densité, de finesse, de profondeur et d'éléments contradictoires côte à côte qui créent une improbable symbiose. Les tannins ont un grain fin, ils sont parfaitement intégrés, ils sont d'une rare puissance et, pourtant, ils sont bien encadrés. La finale se termine sur de la fraîcheur, du fruit tandis que l'austérité, respectivement de beaux amers, étirent sa persistance aromatique. - 04/2023

Suckling

very powerful and structured Montrose with steely tannins that run the length of the wine. It's compacted and muscular with an extremely long finish. Graphite and spices in the aftertaste. This should be terrific after the elevage. From organically grown grapes. 66% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. - 04/2023

Dunnuck

The 2022 Château Montrose is a classic blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new oak from a variety of coopers. Another absolutely brilliant wine in the vintage, it offers a saturated purple hue as well as an essence of Montrose-like bouquet of currants, blueberries, damp earth, violets, graphite, and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, and powerful, it nevertheless has a riveting sense of purity, precision, and finesse that's hard to believe. Given its balance and purity of fruit, as well as the quality of the tannins, it's going to offer incredible pleasure with just 4-6 years of bottle age (a decade would be best) yet be just about immortal if well stored. - 05/2023