Chateau Montrose: vineyards, best wines

Chateau Montrose (Vineyards, Best Wines, Prices 2024)

by Anthony Zhang

Looking for the best Chateau Montrose wine for your cellar?

Known for its elegant, long-lived wines, Chateau Montrose is a prestigious winery that belongs to the top tier of second growth Bordeaux wineries.

Interestingly, the 1990, 2009, and 2010 vintage from this winery were awarded 100 points by wine critic Robert Parker. Also, its 1970 vintage was placed third among the top 10 red wines at the 1976 Judgement of Paris wine competition.

So, what’s the story behind the winery and its winemaking? Which are the best Chateau Montrose wine bottles for your portfolio?

In this article, we’ll explore their winemaking techniques and show you How To Invest In Them easily. We’ll also discuss the amazing history, the uniqueness of their 95 hectare vineyard, and the Best Chateau Montrose Wines Of 2024.

Further reading

A Quick Intro To Chateau Montrose

A Quick Intro To Chateau Montrose

Chateau Montrose is one of the leading wine properties in the prestigious Saint Estephe appellation in the Medoc region of France - close to the famous Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Chateau Cos D'Estournel. It is owned and operated by the Bouygues family.

The vineyard was named ‘Chateau Montrose’ after the pink heather which covered the Bordeaux hillside near the winery.

This iconic winery rose to fame in the 19th century because of its full-bodied classic wines. Their recent vintages have a highly tannic nature and are refined and masculine.

Let’s take a quick look at how this stunning Chateau came to be.

A Brief History of Chateau Montrose

A Brief History of Chateau Montrose

Chateau Montrose, which was a part of Calon Segur Estate, belonged to Alexander de Segur, who owned several other fertile Bordeaux properties like Chateau Mouton, Chateau Lafite, and Chateau Latour. He passed on the estate to his son, Nicolas Alexander, who sold it to Etienne Theodore Dumoulin in 1778.

Etienne Dumoulin and his son, Theodore Dumoulin, built the Chateau Montrose winery in 1815 after being inspired by the unique gravel terroir of the estate.

In 1866, Mathew Dollfus acquired the winery and modernized it with advanced winemaking techniques and machinery. He built the iconic windmill of Chateau Montrose to pump water from an underground well to flood the land and stop the spread of phylloxera.

Upon his death in 1866, the vineyard went to the Charmolue family, who consolidated the winery’s position as one of the finest in Medoc. They purchased the Cos D'Estournel appellation in the Bordeaux region in 1894 - adding more fertile land to the winery.

In 2006, Martin and Oliver Bouygues bought Chateau Montrose from Jean-Louis Charmoule. The Chateau is now managed by Melissa Bouygues (Chairperson) and Herve Bernard (CEO.)

The Beautiful Vineyards Of Chateau Montrose

The Beautiful Vineyards Of Chateau Montrose

The 95 hectare vineyard of Chateau Montrose is blessed with natural assets, like the Gironde Estuary, which nurtured it over the centuries, making it ideal for growing premium vines.

The terroir of the vineyard has ‘elite cores’ - a complex geological formation of outcrops that help make great wines. Its soil is a unique blend of gravel over a clayey subsoil - which acts as a natural reservoir of water for the vine plants.

The Chateau Montrose vineyard has Garonne gravel terroir that is best to grow Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 60% of the total vines grown here. The vineyard also has parcels of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (6%), and Petit Verdot (2%.)

Being on the left bank of Gironde Estuary, the fruit in the vineyard ripens under ideal conditions. The water mass moderates the climate by decreasing the effect of spring frosts and heatwaves - making it apt for vine growth.

The 95 hectares of vineyard are divided into four main blocks - which are further subdivided into different parcels depending on soil personality. Each parcel is planted with vines of different grape varieties.

Under the leadership of the Bouygues brothers, Chateau Montrose was renovated to include traditional architecture and high-tech facilities.

The highlights of the renovation are:

  • A sustainable winery to optimize winemaking processes. This ecological winery today has low-energy buildings, and uses geothermal energy systems.
  • A hail canon to protect the vineyard from hail storms.

Their main aim is to transform Chateau Montrose into a completely organic wine farm. In 2017, around 50% of the vines were organically farmed. They hope to be 100% organic by 2025.

How is Chateau Montrose Wine Made?

How is Chateau Montrose Wine Made

Let’s look at the intense winemaking process in Chateau Montrose:

  • The grapes are sent through three reception lines where a team of nine people sort and transfer them to the vat.
  • The sorted grapes are vinified so that they express the terroir and attain the signature Chateau Montrose style. The fruit is vinified for a maximum of 25 days and stored in barrels.
  • The 60 lots or samples of fine wine are stored and classified separately based on their profile.
  • Montrose’s wine samples are mixed according to the desired wine personality and stored in barrels in the barrel hall.
  • The premium Bordeaux wine, the Chateau Montrose, is matured for 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels. The second wine, the La Dame de Montrose, is stored in 30% new barrels, and the wine is matured for 12 months. The third wine, the Saint-Estephe de Montrose, is matured for 12 months in 20% new barrels.
  • The maturing wines are racked every three months by transferring from one barrel to another using gravity. The wines then undergo fining using egg white to soften the tannins.

The Three Wine Styles Of Chateau Montrose

The Merlot grown in the vineyard gives Montrose wines a gentle touch with silky tannins and aromatic flavors. Cabernet Franc offers elegant aromas, while Petit Verdot brings color, pleasant spice, and pepper flavors.

Here are the three unique wine styles made by Chateau Montrose:

1. Chateau Montrose

Chateau Montrose

This premium wine accounts for 55% of the vineyard's total production. The exotic mixture of elegance and tannin along with Grand Cru Classe refinement gives rise to a delicate and complex bouquet on tasting.

2. La Dame de Montrose

La Dame de Chateau Montrose

This world-class Bordeaux wine is predominantly made from silky Merlot grapes reflecting the distinctive personality of the Saint-Estephe appellation terroir. This is the second wine of Montrose, and accounts for 30% of the total wine production.

3. Tertio de Montrose

Tertio de Montrose

The third wine of Chateau Montrose was initially named after the Saint Estephe appellation and renamed Tertio de Montrose in 2016. It is a typical Bordeaux blend and is produced from younger vines.

Now, let’s take a look at the best wines produced by Chateau Montrose.

Best Chateau Montrose Wines in 2024 (Including Taste, Prices)

Here’s the list of our favorite Chateau Montrose wines:

1. 2014 Chateau Montrose Bicentenary Assortment Case, Saint-Estephe, France

Chateau Montrose: 2014 Chateau Montrose Bicentenary Assortment Case, Saint-Estephe, France

This second growth Bordeaux vintage assortment contains the 2014, 2016, and 2015 Montrose vintages that have scored above 95 points. The fruit intensity of 2015, finesse of 2014, and power of 2016 makes this assortment a rare find.

Price of 2014, Chateau Montrose Bicentenary Assortment Case, Saint-Estephe, France: $17,181

2. 1990 Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe, France

1990 Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe, France

This full-bodied, dark colored vintage wine has a decadent aroma of ripe fruit, mint, and creme de cassis with layers of silky tannins. It’s a powerful fine wine with a refreshing, floral, and herbal touch.

Price of 1990, Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France: $691

3. 2009 Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe, France

2009 Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe, France

This recent vintage has a fresh mouthfeel with perfect fruit intensity and acidity as it has fruits of the right maturity. It has tasting notes of leather, tobacco, black currant, creme of cassis, licorice, and cherry.

Price of 2009 Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France: $352

4. 2010 Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe, France

2010 Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe, France

This red wine has great aromas of sweet wild fruit, fried mushrooms, and roasted coffee. This vintage is velvety and gentle on the palate with silky tannins and perfect acidity.

Price of 2010 Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France: $300

5. 2005 Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France

2005 Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France

This powerful Bordeaux vintage gives a mouthfeel of black fruit like currant, cassis, oak, and violet. On the palate, it’s concentrated, full-bodied, fresh, and has soft grainy tannins.

Price of 2005, Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France: $254

6. 1990 Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France

1990 Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose, Saint-Estephe-France

This deep colored vintage offers woody scents, and notes of mocha, nougat, brown tobacco, black cherry, and cocoa on tasting. This red wine is balanced and full-bodied with a silky finish.

Price of 1990 Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France: $203

7. 2016 Chateau Montrose Tertio de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France

2016 Chateau Montrose Tertio de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France

This full-bodied, intense, slightly purple colored Montrose’s wine has notes of ripe tannin, juicy fruit, black cherry, and mild spices on tasting. It has notes of black currant, plum, and ripe fruit with a fine-toasting aroma.

2016 Chateau Montrose Tertio de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France: $118

8. 2016 Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France

2016 Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France

The 2016 vintage is predominantly made from Merlot grapes. This Bordeaux wine has tasting notes of red fruit, pepper, and acacia, along with mild aromas of dark fruit, cassis, and black fruit like currant.

2016 Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France: $57

Is Chateau Montrose a Good Wine Investment?

Chateau Montrose a Good Wine Investment

Chateau Montrose has produced many amazing wines over the years which have captured the attention of wine critics and collectors.

It has received above 90 points for many of its wines from various wine critics. For example, the 2009 vintage got 100 points from Robert Parker, Lisa Perrotti and Jeff Leve.

Its 2016 vintage was given 96-99 points by Min Kyong Kim, Neal Martin, and other popular wine critics. The 1989 Chateau Montrose was awarded 99 points by James Suckling.

Moreover, the value of Montrose’s wines have been increasing slowly as they age.

  • The price of 2005 Chateau Montrose increased by 38% in 10 months (April 2020 to Feb 2021.)
  • The 1985 Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose grew by 75% in 4 months (October 2020 to February 2021.)

Chateau Montrose’s wines are some of the longest lived wines in Medoc as they evolve for decades. Moreover, most of its best vintages seldom taste fun in their youth. They usually reach peak maturity between 15- 50 years and offer the best drinking experience during this period.

How can you invest in this wondrous Grand Vin without any hassle?

Invest in Chateau Montrose And Other Fine Wines Through Vinovest

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Vinovest is a wine investment firm that buys, authenticates, stores, and sells your wine bottles for you. They will also help you sell your fine wines and deliver them to any buyer anywhere in the world.

How Does It Work?

Step 1: Sign Up

Enter your name, email, and password to create your account.

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Fill up a short questionnaire that will help the wine experts determine whether your investing style is balanced, conservative, or aggressive.

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Fund your account with $1,000 or more.

Steps 4: Customize Your Portfolio

Vinovest’s algorithm will use your answers to display the ideal wine investments for you. All you have to do is click on the wines to add them to your portfolio, while you enjoy sipping your spirits!

Benefits of Using Vinovest

1. Easy Buying and Selling Using AI-driven Technology

Vinovest’s Artificial Intelligence-based online platform lets you buy and sell wines from leading wine properties like Chateau Mouton, Chateau Montrose, and many others.

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Vinovest’s Master Sommeliers use their expertise and intelligent investment algorithms to create curated portfolios for you.

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Vinovest stores your precious wines like Chateau Lafite Rothschild in world-class wine storage facilities in global wine hotspots like France, the UK, and Switzerland. They also ensure that your delicate wines are shipped with utmost care.

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Your wines are also monitored 24/7 by security cameras. Vinovest also has power back-ups in case the primary method fails to maintain a perfect climate. They also offer a full insurance policy at market value which will protect each bottle of your wine against breakage, theft, and loss.

5. Low Overall Costs

Vinovest only charges a 2.5% annual fee for purchasing of wine, its fraud detection, storage, insurance, and selling as well as active management of your portfolio. This fee will be reduced to 2.5% when your portfolio balance exceeds $50,000.

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The Vinovest’s bonded warehouse facilities don’t charge excise duty and VAT, passing on significant tax advantages to you.‍

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8. Deep network

Do you know what’s better than tasting a Pomerol Wine? Visiting a Pomerol winery and tasting it right at the source!

You can visit an upcoming private sale or vineyard in a prestigious wine circle like the Bordeaux region. You can also join wine tasting events with Master Sommeliers.

Add This Delicious Bordeaux Grand Vin To Your Collection...

Chateau Montrose, Bordeaux Grand Vin

Chateau Montrose produces some of the longest lived wines with deep color and refined structure - perfect for a sophisticated dinner. They will also make a wonderful long-term addition to your cellar.So, why not sign up on Vinovest to buy wines from Chateau Montrose and other world-class wineries now?

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