Dame De Montrose 2017 (750ML)

94 JS / 92 JD / 92 WA / 90 DE

Very pure and attractive red cherries, plums and wild herbs on the nose here. Impressive polish and poise on the palate. The cabernet fits really beautifully into the merlot, delivering cassis, ripe red plums and spiced mulberries. A blend of 49% merlot, 43% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. Second wine of Château Montrose. Drink or hold. Better after 2022. - James Suckling

The second wine of the estate, the 2017 La Dame Montrose checks in as a blend of 49% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It’s one of the top second wines out there and would easily pass for most estates’ top cuvee. Terrific notes of creme de cassis, crushed flowers, graphite, and plenty of Montrose minerality and earthy notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has polished tannins, and a great finish. It tastes like a mini-Montrose and will evolve for 15 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2017 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 49% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, aged in 30% new and 70% one-year old barrels for 12 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with warm red currants, black cherries and black raspberry scents, followed by earthy/underbrush notions plus hints of violets, dark chocolate and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied and firm, with loads of mouth-coating juicy fruit, it has a velvety texture and long, mineral-laced finish. It should be approachable pretty much from the get-go, although don't let its precociousness make you underestimate its aging potential. Nicely done! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

A good year for Dame de Montrose, showing extremely well balanced plum and damson fruits, and a lovely texture. There was no frost here, as you would expect from a vineyard so close to the Garonne river. Harvest took place between 12-29 September. 4% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend given here. The cellar is now equipped with over 90 small-sized vats, and this is matured in 30% new oak. 40% of production. - Jane Anson, Decanter