While I have a slight preference for the 2009, the 2010 Château Montrose is an undeniably great wine that has everything you could want from this terroir, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it merit even a higher rating in another decade. Blackberries, currants, licorice, spicy herbs, and lead pencil are just some of the nuances here, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a concentrated, layered, powerful mouthfeel, present tannins, and a great, great finish. It benefits from a decant and will probably have another 75 years of life, but I'd say we’re clearly in the early stages of its prime drinking window. May 2023

One of the most youthful and powerful wines in this tasting is the 2010 Montrose, a year when only 52% of the estate's production went into the grand vin. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, cigar wrapper, black truffle and loamy soil, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a rich core of concentrated fruit that's framed by a muscular tannic chassis. Some 2010s are beginning to show their cards, but this Montrose will still require patience.

Softly fragrant and inviting, with cool, fresh blue fruit. Juicy and intense. Broad and big shouldered tannin-wise, but with a sleek, focused, precise centre. A complex wine that hasn't fully hit its stride: has muscle and energy but also refinement. The fruit is pristine and the texture of the tannins is lovely. Young and pent up, not so easy to fall in love with today, but you will last for decades. Serious, cool and fresh. Classic in the best way.

Rock solid, displaying a dense core of plum, steeped currant and braised fig fruit, with racy charcoal and ganache notes. Intensely chalky, offering flesh and refinement to match the bracing minerality, this shows hints of grilled savory, iron, warm paving stone and bitter orange on the riveting finish. Should age very slowly. Best from 2019 through 2038.

– James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, March 2013)

A perfumed and pure Montrose, with lots of currants, berries and spices that evolve to chocolate and light coffee. Full body, with super racy tannins and bright and clean finish. Very fine and structured. A balance and freshness to it all as well as beautiful form and tension. Try in 2018.

– jamessuckling.com, November 2013

Quality 955 | Brand 992 | Economics 960 |
Quality: Predicted life of 14 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group, which averages 9 years Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 34 of the world's top wine lists, including Tru Economics: Above its peer group average price of £52 for the 2010 vintage Production:

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. Chateau Montrose can be so curmudgeonly in its youth that in blind tastings, it can seem like appraising an ogre in a beauty contest. That's what happened here, when it really threw me with its introspective pencil-box inspired nose that simply tells you to bugger off and not come back for at least a decade. The palate here is a mixture of red and black fruit with saturated tannins. This is a classic Montrose with a persistent tarry aftertaste. Re-tasting the wine after a few minutes it begins to unwind and merits a more lenient score. Tasted January 2014.

– eRobertParker.com, Mar 2014

Bright, deep ruby-red. Superripe, deep aromas of black raspberry, cassis, plum, minerals, licorice and bitter chocolate. Densely packed, elegant and classically dry, with creamy depth of dark fruit and mineral flavors given definition and cut by terrific vinosity. This compellingly pure, extract-rich wine showed increasing energy as it opened in the glass. Finishes with big, dusty tannins and outstanding length and perfume. A great vintage for Montrose, in a modern style. Following the first couple vintages made under the direction of Jean Delmas, the '09 and '10 have shown considerably more stuffing. I would not be at all surprised if my score proved to be overly conservative.

2nd Growth St Estèphe (64% harvest, 45hl/ha, 13.7%) [65CS/29M/5CF/1PV] Beautifully gracious nose, very marked mineral and fruit balance, expressive already, complex, complete, fine; beautifully balanced, firm, finely tannic concentrated wine, full of fresh ripe fruit and a very marked minerality; long, seamless, polished St Estèphe, rich and sappy with that vital acidity defining and tempering the black fruit ripeness; long, dense, spicy and effortless, with an almost nutty quality to the powdery fine tannins and wonderful aromatic length; dense, direct, linear, perfectly defined wine; so fine in texture that accessibility at 10 years seems not inconceivable! 2022-45+ [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2011]

(a blend of 53% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 9% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot) Deep inky-purple colour. Enticing aromas of pure floral blackberry, blueberry and minerals. Enters big, dense and suave, showing rich, almost viscous red and black fruit flavors complicated by dried herbs, tobacco, and minerals. The very long finish showcases some youthfully chewy tannins that could use a bit more polish. This large-scale Montrose is a bit chunky at present and quite backward; it will need plenty of time in the cellar but should prove to be very ageworthy (30+ years), although it's not nearly as thrilling as the splendid 2009 made here. The harvest at Montrose took place from September 27 to October 15, and the wine avoids any hint of overripeness, but flowering was somewhat uneven. Incidentally, Montrose bought a parcel of vines from Phelan-Segur last year, and this year one-third of the grapes from those 22 hectares went into the grand vin This explains the slight increase in the percentages of cabernet franc and merlot in the final blend, as these varieties were well represented in the purchased hectares.

53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Harvested 27 Sept to 15 Oct. Deep, dark black colour all the way to the rim. A little more subtle and nuanced on the nose than the 2009. Gently fragrant with blackcurrant and graphite notes to the fore. Palate rich and full but svelte at the same time. Tannins plentiful but finely honed. Lovely length and persistence. A class act. (JL)

Deep inky crimson colour. Fine, not that concentrated but very much of the commune. A pure expression. Stony and inky on the end but with good honest fruit too. Dramatic and admirable. (JR)

Tasted blind. Deep smudgy garnet. Fresh, lightly herbaceous with attractive cassis-leaf aroma. Refined, dry elegant texture. Finesse in the texture and yet still pretty youthful. (JH)

Pure, potent fruit. Chewy but smooth and rounded. Straightforward and traditional. (RH)

This is considered to be among the greatest vintages ever made in Montrose, right up with the 1929, 1945, 1947, 1959, 1961, 1989, 1990 and 2009. Harvest was October 15 to 17. The wine has really come on since I last tasted it, and it needs at least another 10 years of cellaring. The blend was 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine is opaque black/blue, with an incredible nose of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, with hints of incense, licorice, and acacia flowers. Tannins are incredibly sweet and very present. The wine is full-bodied, even massive, with great purity, depth and a finish that goes on close to a minute. This is a 50- to 75-year-old wine that will repay handsomely those with good aging genes. (Note: The Chateau Montrose website gives an aging potential of 2020-2100.)

– Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #214, Aug 2014)

This is up there with the best of the tastings, just nods past the 2009. Less generous perhaps but here you see the beauty and precision of the construction, and the ability to just knock the fruit and tannins out of the park - I love both, but this has the edge in terms of juice, and the Left Bank classicism of bilberry, cassis, olive, mint leaf, graphite, scraping texture and vertical lift on the finish. Jean-Bernard Delmas director.