92

Neal Martin

Vinous

The 2003 Montrose has much more freshness than the 1983 tasted alongside. With blackberry, boysenberry, wilted iris flower, loam and clove, it's pretty complex and certainly more complex than the Lafon Rochet. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy, grippy tannins, powerful and burly. Firm tannins, this is serious and lacks a little flair and charm towards the finish at 20 years of age. Just a bit static at the moment. Tasted at the château. 03/2022

96

Stephen Tanzer

Vinous

Good medium-deep ruby-red. Superripe, roasted aromas of black raspberry, chocolate and licorice. Wonderfully dense, sweet and lush, with an early roundness rare for this wine. A monumental St. Estephe with almost confectionery sweetness. Wonderfully horizontal, palate-saturating wine with huge but thoroughly ripe, lush tannins. It's hard to believe that a wine this rich and deep could be carrying just 13.2% alcohol. The only thing missing here is the floral topnote of 2005, but that's a quibble in this baking-hot vintage, as Montrose's cooler, water-retentive clay-rich soil handled the extreme heat and drought as well as any chateau in the Bordeaux region. The final blend is 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Mai 2006

95

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

One of the top half-dozen wines of this torrid vintage in Bordeaux, as well as one of the least evolved, is the 2003 Montrose. Evocative of blackberries and cassis mingled with black truffles, loamy soil and pencil shavings, it's full-bodied, rich and layered, with a broad attack that segues into a supple but structured mid-palate laden with sweet but succulent fruit that's framed by powdery tannin. While in no danger of imminent decline, it's drinking very well today. 12/2023

99

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

A prodigious beast of a wine that's now starting to shed just a touch of its considerable baby fat, the 2003 Château Montrose is based on 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It shows the richness of the vintage with its ripe, opulent core of fruit, yet it freshens up noticeably with time in the glass, offering currants, mulberries, smoked tobacco, minty herbs, and licorice. Full-bodied, deep, and powerful on the palate, it still has classic Bordeaux focus and structure. It's drinking brilliantly today with a decant and has another 20-30 years of prime drinking. 08/2022

93

Jean-Marc Quarin

Jean-Marc Quarin

Couleur sombre, d'intensité normale et évoluée. Nez très aromatique, fruité, légèrement boisé. Nuances de café. Bouche immédiatement suave et fondante, évoluant parfumée et très avenante. Cependant, dans le dernier tiers du palais, la puissance manque. Bonne finale séveuse. Il est difficile de comprendre pourquoi ce vin a été si bon pendant une année après la mise en bouteilles avant de commencé à chuter. 03/2023

97

James Suckling

James Suckling

After the 2009, this is the most exciting Montrose ever made, with intense aromas and flavors of plums, blueberries, spices, tobacco and cedar. It’s full-bodied with extremely refined tannins but a dense, delicious palate. Better in 2016, but why wait? 06/2013