Mike Supple, JJ Buckley, February 2007

An intensely dark, opulent black core with a bold garnet rim. Rich, heavy and spicy on the nose. Dark plum and cassis aromas push through, followed by cooler undertones of blueberry, blackberry and sweet red raspberry. Surrounding the intense fruit are pervasive aromas of mushroomy earth, wet stone, sweet tobacco and a hint of green bell pepper, followed by lingering spicy aromas of black pepper, cedar, vanilla and cinnamon. In the mouth this wine is huge. The tannic acid is strong from the front of the mouth all the way through the finish. Well integrated and balanced for such a young wine, the power of the tannic structure just keeps building on the mid-palate. Cassis, blackberry and black plum push through the thick tannins, followed by persistent vanilla and charred oak. This is an intense wine that deserves to be laid down for several years. Intense, yet balanced and distinguished with a promise of amazing future potential.

100 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, May 2007

From Robert Parker's Hedonist's Gazette, May 2007. Please note, although scored 100 points by Robert Parker himself, this is NOT an official score. It was given at an informal tasting of 13 different 2003 Bordeaux wines he participated in at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, PA. "The unbelievable 2003 Montrose (rated 100) and Cos d'Estournel (rated 99) are two of the greatest St.-Estèphes I have ever tasted. Montrose is the more backward, and the Cos is more precocious, but both wines will benefit from 8-10 years of cellaring, and should last for 30-40 years."

97 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, April 2006

The enormous 2003 Montrose is built along the lines of the 1989 rather than the 1990. It boasts a dense black/purple color in addition to an extraordinary bouquet of scorched earth, blackberries, and cassis, fabulous purity, a skyscraper-like texture, and substantial tannin in the finish. This superb, huge, ripe wine is one of the vintage’s most prodigious offerings. However, patience will be essential for anyone purchasing this 2003. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035.

97 -100 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, April 2005

Certainly one of the vintage’s most colossal wines and clearly one of the estate’s greatest efforts, rivaling the 1989, 1990, and 2000, this wine, which tips the scales at 13% alcohol (the 1990 was 13.5%), has an amazingly opaque purple color to the rim, and a big, sweet, exotic nose of blackberry liqueur intermixed with acacia flower, creme de cassis, smoke, and hints of truffle and vanilla. In the mouth the wine is full-bodied, opulent, but offers surprising definition and finesse, which is something it was showing less of nine months ago. Brilliantly delineated in spite of its amazing concentration and unctuosity, this is a thrilling, exceptional effort that should prove to be a modern-day legend. I tend to think this wine will actually be approachable in 5-6 years but capable of lasting for at least three decades. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2030+. To reiterate what I said last year, this is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

96 points,

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, June 2006

($175-$250) Good medium-deep ruby-red. Superripe, roasted aromas of black raspberry, chocolate and licorice. Wonderfully dense, sweet and lush, with an early roundness rare for this wine. A monumental St. Estephe with almost confectionery sweetness. Wonderfully horizontal, palate-saturating wine with huge but thoroughly ripe, lush tannins. It's hard to believe that a wine this rich and deep could be carrying just 13.2% alcohol. The only thing missing here is the floral topnote of 2005, but that's a quibble in this baking-hot vintage, as Montrose's cooler, water-retentive clay-rich soil handled the extreme heat and drought as well as any chateau in the Bordeaux region. The final blend is 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. 96 points

95 -100 points,

Wine Spectator, June 2004

Fantastic and subtle, with blackberries, spices, light leather and cinnamon. Full-bodied, with a slow start, then it spirits off with fabulously silky tannins and a long, long finish. This is like a super 1996. The owner likes it better than his 1990 and 1989. Score range: 95-100 (JS)

About Winery

Château Montrose one of the eminent estates in Saint Estèphe, the northern most commune bordering the Gironde estuary. At the end of the 18th century, the land where Montrose is presently located was moorland, that belonged to Etienne Théodore Dumoulin, whose son entertained the thought of turning it into a vineyard. He began clearing small parcels in 1815 that revealed gravel soil and later constructed a modest two-storey château-building.

Expansion continued unabated and by 1866 the estate covered 237 acres through astute purchases and exchanges with neighbouring properties. The property then passed through many different families until it was recently purchased by Martin Bouygues, the 8th wealthiest man in France.

The property consists of 68-hectares under vine which slope down towards the Gironde, planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and just 2% Petit Verdot (there was more in the 1950's.) When I visited the property, I was told that the soil is more clayey than surrounding vineyards and therefore the ground is able to retain more moisture than those with a sandier terroir, a crucial factor in dry vintages such as 2003. The soil also contains Pyrenean gravel which absorbs the summer heat and prolongs the daily ripening period.

abridged from Neil Martin's producer profile on eRobertParker

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