Another wine I was able to taste on multiple occasions, the 2015 Montrose is a certainly the wine of Saint-Estèphe in 2015. Notes of cassis, damp earth, violets, and graphite/lead pencil notes all flow to a beautifully pure, elegant and multi-dimensional 2015 that has fine, polished tannin, perfect balance, and a great finish. The 2015 is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, all of which was brought up in 65% new oak. This isn’t a blockbuster yet is pure class all the way. It will be better in 4-5 years and keep for 2-3 decades. In this critic’s opinion, Château Montrose is at the top of the pyramid in terms of quality in Saint-Estèphe. They’ve produced some of the best wines in the vintage from the northern Médoc in 2015, and possibly the wine of the vintage in 2016.

Fleshy for the vintage, with good plum and dark currant fruit lined with ample tobacco, warm paving stone, bay leaf and alder notes on the slightly dusty finish. Not a charmer, but this is integrated and shows range and depth for the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2035.

The 2015 Montrose is silky, super-finessed and nuanced, all qualities that are unusual for a wine that is usually much more of a powerhouse. Black cherry, smoke, leather, graphite, crème de cassis and licorice notes open up in the glass, yet the wine comes across as raw and not fully formed. The 2015 appeared to put on a bit of weight over the two weeks I followed it, but I don't see the depth, structure and personality of the very best versions.

Only 36% of the production went into the 2015 Montrose, a wine that's reminiscent of a smaller-scaled, less profound version of the estate's 2009. Bursting with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, loamy soil, incense and smoke, it's full-bodied, broad and ample, with a rich, enveloping profile and a long, expansive finish. The 2014 has more potential, but if you're looking for a Montrose vintage to drink young, this is it.