By Ben Collins
Chateau Montrose
Montrose was bought by Martin Bouygues – a concrete tycoon who seems to be rebuilding the entire place – there are even more cranes here than at Cheval Blanc. They own also own another St Estephe chateau, Ch Tronquoy-Lalande. I am impressed with T-L. It has lost its rough edges and has lovely soft tannins. We tasted a delicious 07 that is ready now and that I would love to see in a restaurant and a more serious altogether 08 that reinforces how good that spurned vintage will be. The 09 is crammed with ripe fruit and has a silky unctuous texture that seems to be the hallmark of the wonderful 2009 vintage.
Montrose: we tasted 07, 08 & 09 and Jean Bernard Delmas who came here from Haut-Brion to what has turned out to be much more than a retirement job is rightly happy with all of them. The 2009 will have a certain American wine critic drooling, I suspect: juicy, silky, ultra-ripe cassis fruit.
Stunning texture and suppleness too. A blockbuster.
Bargain hunters should also note a simply terrific 2009 Dames de Montrose – fill your boots. It is even better than an ultra delicious bottle of 2000 that I had the other day.
On to a memorable lunch with the amiable M. Delmas who regaled us with anecdotes of his fascinating career with the Dillon family at HB and his new life at Montrose. So what did we drink with that perfect Cote de Boeuf I hear you ask? Delicious golden hued Pol Roger 99 and a Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru Les Moucheres 2007 followed by Tronquoy Lalande 2003 that was a lot less cooked than some and a remarkably good Tronquoy 82 was good too and then some serious kit appeared….
…Montrose 1970 and 1955. Both of these memorable bottles were showing no signs of old age – perfect really – with plenty of fruit still around. A vinous treat and testament to the Michael Saunders theory that if wine doesn’t move it is always better. Great fun.
Tags: Bordeaux, bordeaux 2009, France, News