Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose, St Estephe

Description

Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose is the second wine of the very highly regarded Chateau Montrose and is made to the same rigorous standards as the first wine. The wine was created in 1983 in tribute to Yvonne Charmolüe, who ran Château Montrose single-handedly from 1944 to 1960.

Chateau Montrose is located in the St Estephe appellation of Bordeaux and was classified as a one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The vineyards cover some 168 acres planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Chateau Montrose is the main wine (they also produce a second wine called La Dame de Montrose) and is the result of rigorous selection at each stage of production, in both the vineyard and the winery. This great, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon based wine is typical of the Saint-Estèphe appellation.

Chateau Montrose La Dame de Montrose accounts for between 40 and 45% of production at Chateau Montrose. Supple and silky Merlot generally predominates in the varietal mix. Its very pronounced red fruit aromas and flavours reflect another expression of the terroir in a distinctive style which is less elaborately complex than that of the First Wine. Aged for 12 months in 30% new French oak barrels.

The blend for 2010 was 64% Cabernet-Sauvignon 36% Merlot, a higher proportion of Cabernet than usual.