Montrose's style is unique. It is chiselled and elegant, sappy and radiant, with an exceptional aging potential. The 2024 vintage: Return to the origins of the terroir “Marked by the oceanic influence, the 2024 vintage is shaped by the challenges of the climate, polished by commitment, responsiveness and expertise. Heading towards the archipelago of the Terraces, where Montrose unveils all its nuances...T4, the wave breaks endlessly, carried by the delicate texture of the tannins." Charlotte Bouygues, Chairman. The 2024 vintage, influenced by the Atlantic climate, experienced mild temperatures and exceptional rainfall. In response to the excess water, several viticultural adjustments were made: controlled cover crops, high pruning to promote evapotranspiration, and early leaf removal to improve aeration. The intense sanitary pressure required constant vigilance and quick reactions, with each intervention covering the 95 hectares in less than two weeks. The summer, drier at Montrose, allowed for leaf removal on the west-facing slopes to promote uniform berry ripening. Terraces 3 and 4 effectively regulated water supply, contributing to excellent phenolic maturity. Despite the rain in September, the harvest was swift and precise: 102 harvesters completed the work in 11 days, with the grapes in excellent sanitary condition. For the first time, a second sorting line was added in the winery to keep pace with the harvest. Tasting notes: Château Montrose 2024 finds its ultimate expression in Terrace No. 4, its original terroir. It stands out for its exceptional energy and great complexity. The nose blends blackberry, blond tobacco, and graphite. On the palate, the approach is brooding. The wine reveals a round, silky, and sculpted texture, with impressive depth. The tannins, powerful and precise, shape a structure of great elegance, with a finish that stretches endlessly, like a wave carried by the delicate texture of the tannins. Discover the 2024 harvest : https://youtu.be/t4F_iasRsAM 96-98/100 The Drink Business Colin Hay 06/05/2025 Château Montrose (St-Estèphe; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 38 hl/ha; around 15% vin de presse; IPT 77; organic certification will come this year; tasted at the property with Vincent Decup). Sourced exclusively from Terrace 4, the first part of the property to be planted well before the classification. Tasted just after Terrace III, it is difficult to imagine that this could be better. It is. Even more intense in its florality. Again, wisteria and now with a little iris too. Many wines of the vintage have a bulby character to their florality. Not here. This is all about the petals. It’s very delicate. There’s a hint of violet too but it doesn't overpower the more subtle floral notes that feel very natural and that take the limelight. Graphite and deep dark berry fruits on the palate – black berries, brambles and mulberries. A little red cherry. The fruit profile is rather more familiar than for the Terrace III wine. There’s more gravitas, depth and profundity too. The wine also seems to gather more towards the bottom of the mouth and has more amplitude in its depth. It’s a little more serious but never austere. I love the contrast. The left-bank wine of the vintage. 98-99/100 WeinWisser Tjark Witzgall 06/05/2025 94-96/100 Vinous Neal Martin 05/05/2025 The 2024 Montrose has a little more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend due to the yields in various parcels. It was picked between September 23 and October 7 and matured in 60% new oak. The well-defined and very able nose demonstrates classicism, fine delineation and a little more florality than the Terrasse III. The palate is medium-bodied with very finely chiselled tannins and a keen line of acidity. This symmetrical Saint-Estèphe is blessed with an elegant, sapid and reassuringly precise finish that the estate seems to have honed in the last few years. It does not have the unbridled ambition of, say, the 2020 Montrose, but it is exceptionally well crafted and will become a fine Saint-Estèphe. 94-96/100 Vinous Antonio Galloni 30/04/2025 The 2024 Montrose exudes Cabernet Sauvignon character in its aromatic savoriness and tannic structure. In fact, the 2024 has the most Cabernet Sauvignon ever. Tightly wound today, the 2024 impresses with its energy and focus. There's a bit less mid-palate and overall heft than most years, as well as a brighter fruit profile. Floral, spice and mineral overtones lend brightness throughout. The 2024 is a super-classic, nervy Montrose that will need a number of years to be at its most expressive. Aging is projected to be 18 months, with 60% new oak. 94-96/100 The Wine Cellar Insider Jeff Leve 30/04/2025 Black currants, lead pencil, tobacco, flowers, and black raspberries fill the heady perfume. Quite rich for the vintage, with a nice bite of juicy currants, spice, and a blast of refreshing mint at the back of the vibrant finish. This is not a vintage of power, its strength comes from balance, freshness, and early drinkability. This is the second vintage produced entirely from Terrasse 4. The wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. This is the largest percentage of Cabernet ever placed in the blend in the history of Chateau Montrose. 13% ABV, pH 3.5 pH. Harvesting took place September 23 - October 7. Drink from 2030-2055. 96-97/100 Alexandre Ma Alexandre Ma 29/04/2025 In a vintage not known for its brightness, Château Montrose arrived like a shaft of morning light – casting color across a grey-toned canvas, and becoming, without doubt, one of the year’s most striking beauties. The 2024 vintage tends toward aromatic restraint, likely due to limited sunshine – or more precisely, less-than-ideal photosynthetic efficiency. But Montrose defied the odds. Like light breaking through cloud, it delivered a vivid tapestry of blueberry, black plum, and wild berries that left me genuinely astonished. Vincent explained that this brilliance was no accident, but the result of a series of deliberate choices: early leaf thinning to improve ventilation and light exposure; more aggressive grass removal to lower surface humidity; a higher canopy to boost photosynthesis; and, most importantly, the meticulous hand-removal of all late-ripening and downy mildew–affected grapes after green harvest. These small but thoughtful steps have allowed us to witness a rare richness and warmth in this vintage that is not particularly generous. Perhaps it lacks the grandeur of previous vintages, but it reveals depth and power in its understated elegance, like a stoic warrior expressing tenderness at dusk. Time will prove the true value of this vintage. 93-95/100 Wine Advocate William Kelley 25/04/2025 A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2024 Montrose is a serious, muscular effort that numbers among the wines of the vintage. Unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, burning embers, cigar wrapper and iris, it's medium to full-bodied, dense and layered, with a lively spine of acidity, rich structuring tannins and a long, penetrating finish. With both the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon recorded at Montrose and a rather low pH of 3.55, it will surely number among the longest lived 2024 Bordeaux. 95/100 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Jane Anson 25/04/2025 Beautifully deep colour, this shows chalk, violet flowers, peony, fragrant and enticing floral profile compared to so many in the vintage, this is excellent, cocoa bean, cassis, depth, layers and concentration - one of the wines of the vintage. 15% press wine, a little more than usual. Harvest 23 September to 8 October, Pierre Grafeuille estate director. 95/100 Falstaff Peter Moser 25/04/2025 Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Delicately smoky and herbaceous undertones of wild black berries, fine cassis, blackberry jam, and nuances of oak, an attractive bouquet. Complex, tight-knit, dark cherries, ripe, first-class tannins, good freshness, a mineral finish, elegant, persistent, with length and potential, a classic aromatic profile. 98-100/100 Yvesbeck.wine Yves Beck 23/04/2025 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc 18 mois d’élevage pour Montrose (dont 60 % de bois neuf). Que de profondeur, d’intensité, de pureté dans Montrose 2024. Marqué par de subtiles notes de sureau, de cassis et de myrtilles, le bouquet se positionne avec élégance, clarté et sérénité. On relèvera aussi une touche florale, respectivement un végétal floral, ce qui appuie non seulement la fraîcheur mais la complexité. Dense et légèrement suave en attaque, le vin est porté par des tannins aux grains fins qui confèrent non seulement de la puissance, mais également un précieux capital-vie dans une notion de garde… et il y en a pour plusieurs décennies. Solide, linéaire et enthousiasmant, Montrose dirige sa puissance avec tact, pertinence et souveraineté ! Un vin qui se positionne explicitement devant le millésime, ou plutôt au-dessus : il le survole, brillamment, sereinement, avec l’excellence en point de mire. Si en plus le retour de fruit pouvait être plus insistant en finale, on toucherait le graal. L’élevage et le temps pourraient y contribuer. Que de perspectives réjouissantes ! 2032-2064