Chateau Montrose 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe 2010

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.

Tasted at the Montrose vertical in London, the 2010 Montrose was the youngest vintage by some 115 years, but it is undeniably one of the best. It is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot picked from 27 September until 15 October. Deep, almost opaque in color, it has a tightly wound, arresting nose of blackberry, bilberry, crushed violets and graphite all with quite brilliant delineation. The palate is medium rather than full-bodied, laden with plenty of fruit, grippy like many 2010s with a structured, masculine and tannic finish that wards you away for another 10-15 years. However, it is still possible to admire the purity and delineation of this long-term Montrose, a wine that comes with a compulsory cellaring. Patience will be handsomely rewarded. How long can you wait? Tasted June 2016.