Bordeaux 2023

Tasted April 2024. 100% Merlot. 14% ABV and 65% new barrels. Rich and rounded, the fruit here is ripe without becoming exotic, and there is lots of depth and a brooding feel to the flavours, with licorice and dark chocolate. Beautiful aromatics and savoury layers on the palate, with lots of smooth tannins. There is brilliant interplay between ripe dark fruit and refreshing acidity.

Tasted April 2024. 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5% ABV. Vibrant style, with a lot of bridled power. Black, dense berry fruit within a classical structure, typical of Figeac, with stony textural elements, ripe but firm tannins, and distinct graphite aromas and flavours. Beautiful long, pure finish, with layers of rocky, mineral flavours and fresh bramble.

Tasted April 2024. 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV and 60% new barrels. Bright floral aromatics, damson, with peony, violet perfume. Juicy fruit on the palate, refreshing acidity, restrained and delineated flavours. Complex spicy notes are restrained too and there's some savoury Cabernet Franc leafiness.

Tasted April 2024. 61% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Pure and vibrant with concentrated cassis and plum, with fresh mint and iodine. Silky on the palate with a little grip on the appetising saline finish.

Tasted April 2024. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. In the 2023 vintage the team at Montrose have focused primarily on their 'terrace number four' which was the site of the original plantings at the estate. The result is seriously impressive with tension, depth, length and layers of crushed shell, iodine, fresh mint and opulent black berry fruit.

Tasted April 2024. 82% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV with two thirds of the wine matured in new barrels. An elegant iteration of one of our favourite Bordeaux estates, with crushed velvet texture, and layers of mineral and savoury complexity with truffle, graphite and exotic spice on the nose.

Tasted April 2024. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. 14.3% ABV. Dark berries, and delicate floral aromas. On the palate there is lots of fine tannin, with a dark chocolate, toffee richness from the oak maturation and gentle spice. Refreshing, appetising acidity.

Tasted April 2024. 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. 14.1% ABV. Pure and expressive, with the explosive aromatics of the vintage matched by the natural density of the Troplong Mondot terroir. Rich and spicy on the palate, tempered by mineral tones and grippy but elegant tannins. There's inate power here but reined in effortlessly by the textural complexity the team have created.

Tasted April 2024. 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, 3.5% Petit Verdot. 13.1% ABV. Fragrant and expressive on the nose with petals, red berries and black plum. On the palate it's fresh and appetising with mineral notes, earth, spice and bramble fruit. Effortless, classical in style and beautifully balanced.

Tasted April 2024. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. 14.1% ABV, 50% in new barrels. The first vintage vinified in the new cellar, with eight hectares now in production. Aromatic and pure on the nose, with some limestone influence. Similarly on the palate there are chalky notes and edges to the ripe tannins. The fruit is restrained and vibrant, with red and black berry fruit. Lots of pomegranate acidity leads to a long, juicy finish with saline mineral notes.

Tasted April 2024. 77% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, including some more recent plantings of Cabernet Franc that were planted from a massale selection. 14% ABV, 55% new barrels. Aromatic, exotic plum aromas, dark cherry, with some bramble. Ripe style of fruit, balanced beautifully by a strong limestone influence with chalky textures and crunchy, saline sensation on the palate. Spice and cedar on the nose and palate. Silky, pure, very concentrated and appetising. Amazing length and purity on the finish. The most precise and impressive vintage we've tasted at this estate.

Tasted April 2024. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV. Limestone influence is clear in the wine, with silky texture, tension and floral notes on the nose and juicy, aromatic fruit on the palate. Medium-bodied, expressive, fresh and sappy style.

Tasted April 2024. The first vintage of new winemaker Axel Heinz, previously of Ornellaia. His arrival has marked a departure in style, with less new oak, less first wine produced, and even a new label. The result is pure and focused, with fresh blackberry, delicate floral aromas, fresh mint, and a silky feel on the palate.

Tasted April 2024. 77% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, including some more recent plantings of Cabernet Franc that were planted from a massale selection. 14% ABV, 55% new barrels. Aromatic, exotic plum aromas, dark cherry, with some bramble. Ripe style of fruit, balanced beautifully by a strong limestone influence with chalky textures and crunchy, saline sensation on the palate. Spice and cedar on the nose and palate. Silky, pure, very concentrated and appetising. Amazing length and purity on the finish. The most precise and impressive vintage we've tasted at this estate.

Tasted April 2024. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. 12.9% ABV. Vibrant fresh lemon, apple and grapefruit on the nose, with lip-smacking, tangy acidity. Pithy and textural on the palate, with surprising weight as it develops, before a long, saline finish.