Chateau Montrose 2010

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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.)"

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2010 Montrose is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to bring out notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, warm cassis, and licorice, followed by hints of mocha, tapenade, crushed rocks, and cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate has a formidable structure of very firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the voluptuous black fruit and mineral layers, finishing long, long, long."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Young, but not quite primary, there is such a wealth of ripe, sweet, black, and red fruit, it is hard not to be seduced by the endless layers of flavor, fruit, and tannins on the palate. This is one of those wines where once it gets going, it seemingly never wants to stop, and that's a good thing because you want as much of those perfectly ripe, poised, vibrant black and red fruits as you can get, as they coat your palate and stay there. Give it a few more years and it will only get better. Drink from 2025-2060."

DECANTER: "Fabulous inky rich depths to the colour here, and right off the nose you feel it enticing you in. Spice is evident, as are the ripples of muscles and walls. This is in the Lynch Bages school of not being ready yet, the tannins are still fully standing to attention. Fruit is dark, tight, hiding its fleshier side for now, and it is extremely clear that this is a vintage with ambition and no intention of going anywhere for many decades. A great wine, needs to be opened for five to six hours if drinking soon, but my suggestion would be to put it away for another three or four years at least."

JEB DUNNUCK: "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."

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

WEINWISSER: "53 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 37 % Merlot, 9 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petit Verdot. 64 % Grand Vin. 45 hl/ha. Dichtes Purpur mit lila Schimmer in der Mitte, fein rubiner Rand aussen. Reserviertes Bouquet, florale Cabernet-Noten, schwarze Pfefferkörner, Havanna-Tabak. Kompakter Gaumen, rote Pflaumenschalen, ein Hauch Dörrfrüchte, dunkle Hölzer, noch mehlige Tannine, wie immer mit sehr vielversprechendem Potenzial bestückt. Kein grosser Kommunikator und deshalb vielleicht unterschätzt. Seine hohe Punktezahl wird er erst in 20 Jahren erstmals beweisen können."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung, süße, bereits reif wirkende dunkle Frucht, ein Hauch von Zwetschken, deutliche Kräuterwürze, zarter Pfeffer, Nuancen von Kakao. Straff, zeigt eine gute Komplexität, reife Kirschenfrucht, gute eingebundene Tannine, frisch strukturiert, Herzkirschen auch im Nachhall, würziger Rückgeschmack. Braucht noch seine Zeit, verfügt bereits jetzt über eine tolle Länge, legt mit wachsender Flaschenreife immer weiter zu, großes Zukunftspotenzial."

WINE SPECTATOR: "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. — JM"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This is such an elegant wine that has all the structure of the vintage. Surrounding the tannins, the wine is sweet and ripe, with smokiness from the wood. It's powerful, elegant and sophisticated with a strong sense of poise. The tannins promise long-term aging."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "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."