2003 Chateau Montrose 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe 1x750ml

Vinous 92/100

The 2003 Montrose has much more freshness than the 1983 tasted alongside. With blackberry, boysenberry, wilted iris flower, loam and clove, it’s pretty complex and certainly more complex than the Lafon Rochet. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy, grippy tannins, powerful and burly. Firm tannins, this is serious and lacks a little flair and charm towards the finish at 20 years of age. Just a bit static at the moment. Tasted at the chateau. [Neal Martin, 08/08/2023]

Anticipated maturity: 2025-2045

Robert Parker 98

The 2003 Montrose was served blind in Bordeaux on two occasions. Picked between 11 to 26 September, it is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It remains one of the outstanding wines of a very black and white vintage. Without knowledge of the vintage, I was hesitant to suggest 2003, because though there is clearly fruit intensity locked up inside this Saint Estephe, it is counterbalanced by the estate’s trademark masculinity and austerity. So both on the nose and the palate it reaches this happy medium: pure blackberry, graphite and roasted herbs on the nose, perhaps even more elegant than I have observed on previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied rather than full bodied with sturdy tannins couched in layers of seamless blackberry and cassis fruit, offset by scents of tobacco and graphite. As usual it has immense length and depth, a Montrose that is really just a few chapters into what is sure to be a longer "book" than many other 2003s. It is not a perfect Montrose, but a couple of hairs’ breadth away. Tasted February 2017. [Neal Martin, 28/09/2017]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050