The 2021 Montrose Bordeaux Blend from St Estephe, Bordeaux, France, is a red wine that has garnered high praise from several esteemed wine reviewers. This wine is composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, and it features a cork closure.
William Kelley from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded the 2021 Montrose an impressive score of 97, lauding it as "the wine of the vintage in the Médoc." Kelley describes it as having a "deep bouquet of cassis and dark berries mingled with subtle hints of mint, orange, pencil shavings and spices." He further notes its "layered and multidimensional core of fruit underpinned by beautifully ripe, refined tannins," concluding with a "long, resonant finish." Kelley compares this young classic favorably to the estate's 1996 vintage, but notes it's "far better."
Jane Anson from janeanson.com rated the wine at 95 points, emphasizing its "extremely impressive" nature and how it "lives up to En Primeur expectations." Anson notes flavors of "cloves, sandalwood, liquorice, fennel, cracked black pepper, and a ton of juicy cassis and blueberry fruit." She praises its "well-defined tannic architecture" and potential to age for 15 to 20 years.
Jeff Leve of TheWineCellarInsider.com also gave the wine 95 points, highlighting its "aromatic profile" of "blackberries, espresso, chocolate, dried flowers, black cherries and spice." He finds the palate even more compelling with "salty-edged red fruits, crushed rocks, spice and espresso with dark chocolate accented profile." Leve advises that the wine will be ready to drink in 3-4 years and should continue to develop well into 2055.
Jeb Dunnuck from jebdunnuck.com scored the 2021 Montrose at 94 points, calling it "an absolute classic expression of this terroir." Dunnuck describes its "pure cassis and assorted darker currant fruits" and "damp earth, violet, and leafy tobacco nuances." He commends its "perfect integration of its acidity, tannins, and oak," and sees it benefiting from 4-6 years of bottle age, potentially showing beautifully at age 30.
James Suckling from jamessuckling.com awarded the wine 96 points, describing it as "very classy and refined" with "fine, silky tannins and a fresh, bright finish." Suckling notes flavors of "currant, blackberry and tar, as well as some graphite."
Vinous' Antonio Galloni also gave a rating of 96 points, noting that the wine is "an inward, brooding wine—classic Montrose" with "spice, tobacco, cedar, menthol, scorched earth, gravel and a touch of new oak." Galloni advises that the wine requires considerable cellaring to reach its potential, with "elegance meeting power" in this vintage.
Decanter awarded the wine 95 points, praising its "beautiful perfume on the nose" and "chunky, chewy fruit." The review highlights its "luscious appealing fruitiness" and the "linear, quite strict middle" with "great depth on the mid palate."
Lisa Perrotti-Brown from The Wine Independent rated the wine at 96 points, describing it as "deep garnet-purple in color" with notes of "iron ore, mossy tree bark, and chalk dust" leading to "fresh blackcurrants, kirsch, and lilacs." She notes its "shimmery layers of minerals, black and red berries, and fragrant earth-inspired flavors."
Lastly, Wine Spectator's JM rated the wine 92 points, finding it "sleek" with "black cherry, damson plum and violet notes," and a "late echo of singed alder."
Overall, the 2021 Montrose Bordeaux Blend is a highly acclaimed wine with a strong potential for aging, praised for its complex flavors, refined tannins, and impressive structure.