Montrose 2005 (750ML)

98 WA / 98 WI / 98 JA / 97 VM

The 2005 Montrose continues to show brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with notes of blackcurrant, red fruits, loamy soil, black truffles and cigar ash. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's still brooding and tannic, with lively acids and an imposing chassis of structuring—and artery-cleansing—extract. Still an adolescent, it's one of the last unrepentantly old-school vintages of Montrose, and Médoc purists couldn't own enough. While this remains a very youthful wine, it is now apparent that the 2005 will, at maturity, surpass the 1989 and 1990. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

This was the last vintage for the Charmolue family - Jean-Bernard Delmas oversaw the elevage of this wine. Deep garnet in color with a touch of brick at the rim, the 2005 Montrose is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. After a little shaking, the nose erupts with a fantastic perfume of blackcurrant pastilles, kirsch, raisin cake, and forest floor, leading to hints of aniseed, cracked black pepper, and unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate has a rock-solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing very long and minerally. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

The last year for Montrose under the Charmolüe family, before the Bouygues bought in 2006. Inky plum in colour, moreish from the very first sip. So juicy, such well controlled extraction, balanced but intense and concentrated, with layers of still-vibrant cassis, bilberry, eucalyptus and cocoa bean. You can now clearly see where this is heading, but it will continue to build over the next few years, and then stay on the plateau for decades. Proof that whatever the Bouygues paid for it the following year, they were getting one of the greatest estates in the Médoc. 60% new oak. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2005 Montrose replicated previous showings of that formidable wine. The bouquet is backward and here exuding more black fruit than previous bottles, rendering it more akin to the 2010 Montrose. With aeration those telltale scents of pencil lead emerge, although this bottle shows a touch more brine. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, a Montrose with huge backbone, solid to the point of being obdurate. Yet that would be overlooking the poise and delineation of this Montrose, the manner in which it gathers momentum towards the grippy finish. It is a truly great 2005 Bordeaux but it deserves a couple of decades in bottle. Tasted blind at "Philip's Belated February Christmas Lunch." - Neal Martin, Vinous Media