Château Montrose is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

History

The story of Montrose, written by three families of owners over two centuries, is a reflection of their spirit, marked by their pursuit of excellence and by legendary vintages. As pioneers in the Médoc, visionary builders and astute managers, they tended and got the best out of its unique terroir. It is they who laid the foundations to which Montrose now owes its image and its unique place in the world of great wines.

Vineyards

The 95-hectares vineyard surrounds the château, the winery and the outbuildings in a single continuous sweep, an exceptional and historically very rare feature. As well as making the vineyard easier to work, this unity means that it can be treated as a single entity, providing ideal conditions for efficient organisation and for monitoring the condition of each parcel.

At Château Montrose, the largest parcel is two hectares, the smallest only a few hundred square metres, but each has its own personality, its own particular soil or subsoil, and vines whose age, yield, variety or rootstock are different from those of its neighbour. In the end it is the wine itself which, in its own way, brings this amazing patchwork together, since it is both the result and the synthesis of each micro-terroir. 

The mix of grape varieties at Montrose, with Cabernet Sauvignon predominant (60% of the vines), is typical of the finest Médoc estates. Cabernet Sauvignon gives its best on warm, gravelly and permeable soil with clay subsoil which helps to store the water the vines need in drought conditions. The Garonne gravel terroirs found at Montrose are its preferred home. Parcels of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (2%) are also planted where the soil suits them best, enabling the grapes to reach full maturity and express the complexity typical of the terroir.

One of the unique features of Chateau Montrose is the hail canon that uses ultrasonic waves to protect the vineyard from damage caused by hail storms. They installed a geothermal pumping technology that is used for cooling as well as heating. Striving to be as green and energy efficient as possible, they added solar power as well to Chateau Montrose.

Wines

Château Montrose produces two red wines: its eponymous grand vin, and a second wine named La Dame de Montrose. The 1970 vintage placed third among the ten California and French red wines at the historic Judgment of Paris wine competition, which was won by the Americans. Montrose wines tend to be deeply tannic and during excellent vintages can take up to 20 years to mature. The 1990, 2009, and 2010 vintages were rated 100 points by Robert M. Parker.