2013 Ch Montrose 2ème Cru Half Bottle 375ml, St-Estèphe

This is a firm wine although with superb fruit. It is structured and dense, dark with tarry tannins as well as juicy fruitiness. It is a powerful wine that certainly has the freshness of the year while also having dark, dense tannins. Drink from 2025.

95 points Wine Enthusiast

Château Montrose is one of the great estates of Saint-Estèphe, commanding a magnificent gravel slope overlooking the Gironde estuary. Classified as a Second Growth in 1855, Montrose has long been admired for Cabernet-driven wines of formidable structure, longevity and unmistakable northern Médoc character. Its deep gravel over clay and the moderating influence of the estuary create a terroir capable of producing extraordinarily long-lived Bordeaux.

The 2013 vintage was famously difficult across Bordeaux, with a cool, wet growing season and challenging conditions around harvest demanding rigorous selection. At Montrose, the estate’s exceptional terroir and meticulous sorting were crucial. This is consequently a lighter, more classical Montrose than the powerhouse vintages surrounding it, making it particularly interesting for drinking now as the wine moves into its mature phase.

Deep garnet beginning to soften at the rim, the bouquet offers cassis, redcurrant and black cherry alongside cedar, graphite and tobacco leaf. With air, more mature notes of leather, dried herbs, cigar box and forest floor emerge. The palate is medium-bodied and savoury, with restrained dark fruit, fresh acidity and fine, resolved tannins. Rather than sheer power, this is about classical claret character, finishing with cedar, earth, dried mint and a touch of graphite.

Forget enormous steaks here; the vintage calls for something a little more elegant. Roast lamb rack with rosemary, duck breast with lentils, beef Wellington, veal with mushrooms or a proper steak and kidney pie would all be terrific. A wedge of aged Cheddar and walnuts after dinner would be equally persuasive.

Drink now to 2030. Given the vintage, I’d favour enjoying well-stored bottles sooner rather than chasing extended ageing.