Dame De Montrose 2021 (750ML)

92-93 JS / 90 DE / 89-91 JD / 88-90 WA / 90 JA / 90-92 VM /

A fine and silky St.-Estephe with medium body and supple, fine tannins. Fresh. Pretty blue and purple fruit with stone and some ash notes. Refined and elegant. 53% merlot, 38% cabernet sauvignon, 6% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. - James Suckling.

Cocoa dusted blackberries and strawberries, you get that deep core, the baked fruit with aromatics touches - more herbal than the grand vin. Quite high-toned, verging on sharp with a real brightness and vivacity to the red cherry and strawberry fruit. Fruit forward, smooth and direct, with mouthwatering acidity to the fore. You salivate such a lot here - and then get the wet stone mineral notes cleansing the palate. Pierre Graffeuille replaces Hervé Berland here, having arrived in March and taking over fully in October. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.

The second wine of unquestionably one of the leaders in the Northern Médoc, the 2021 La Dame De Montrose is 53% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot. This juicy, medium-weight, elegant second wine shows the fresher style of the vintage, has good acidity, and supple tannins. - Jeb Dunnuck.

Representing some 40% of the estate's production, the 2021 La Dame de Montrose offers up aromas of sweet berries, black truffle and burning embers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant palate that's pure and precise. It's a fine effort that will likely take on additional depth with élevage. - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate.

One of the few truly successful 2nd wines in the vintage, this is inky in colour and even visually you can see it has a gorgeous texture. Clear graphite, pencil lead and blueberry notes set the tone on the palate. Cool vintage character, this is extremely elegant. There is a natural structure and power in Montrose soils, meaning the austerity of the vintage was on full display at harvest, and they chaptilised just four tanks of Merlot to add a little weight through the mid palate to this 2nd wine, but it also means there is less of a departure from the classic Montrose signature than you can find in other estates. Harvest September 26 to October 6, after less rain in September than the more southerly sections of the Médoc. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux.

The 2021 La Dame de Montrose offers lovely immediacy in a plump, juicy style that will offer plenty of near and medium-term appeal. Technical Director Vincent Decup chose gentler extractions, which comes through in the wine's forward, supple personality. Press wines were blended back later to add structure. In 2021 La Dame is not terribly complex, but it is absolutely delicious. -Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media.