2025 Château Montrose
"...a Montrose that will rank as one for the ages. Wow ...98-100 points." Neal Martin, Vinous, May '26
Released this morning en primeur at £618 per six bottles in bond, the 2025 Château Montrose has earned potential 100-point barrel scores from at least three leading critics, including Neal Martin and William Kelley. From the moment we tasted it, there was no doubt in our minds that this is an exceptional wine—one that will be discussed and celebrated for many years to come. The critics' acclaim only reinforces that impression.
Since 2023, only vines on the heart of the historic Montrose estate (on 'Terrasse IV' gravel terroir) are used in the grand vin. Reducing the quantity of wine produced in the pursuit of quality has helped to ensure that Montrose is, once again, one of the wines of the vintage this year.
In the context of Montrose’s recent run of outstanding vintages, the 2025 looks to be particularly compelling value. It is being released at approximately £200 per six bottles below the current market price of the highly acclaimed 2016—a wine that many critics consider marginally less impressive than the 2025.
Please let us know if you would like to add some to your cellar.
Offered en primeur. Landing spring 2028.
Magnums available with £25 ex-VAT bottling surcharge per six, please enquire for other formats.
All previous offers of 2025 Bordeaux can be found here.
Producer Profile
Château Montrose
Château Montrose is a Deuxième Cru Classé estate in the commune of Saint-Estèphe. In the 18th century, the land at Montrose was primarily used for hunting. The origin of the name is uncertain but one story is that the pinkish heather which grew here earned it the name 'Mont Rose'. In the early nineteenth century the land part of the Calon-Ségur estate. It was first planted fully with vines in 1815, by Etienne Théodore Dumoulin.
The 95 hectares of vines are on a single plot of gravel and sandy soils over clay. Positioned close to the Gironde estuary, the vineyards benefit from the thermo-regulation effect of the river, often avoiding frosts when other estates are affected. The vines are divided into over 80 small plots, some just a few metres, with micro-vinification used to treat each plot uniquely.
The estate is owned by the Bouygues family (Martin and Olivier Bouygues own a construction and communications empire in France which includes TV channel TF1). Melissa Bouygues is CEO at Montrose and the family also own Château Tronquoy Lalande, along with Clos Rougeard in Saumur and a share in Domaine Henri Rebourseau in the Côte de Nuits. The second wine of the estate is Dame de Montrose.
| RED | 2025 | Château Montrose | 75cl | £618 per case of 6 | Château Montrose 2025 / / 75cl £618 per case of 6 |
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Tasting NotesSOLD OUT "The 2025 Montrose is a very quiet, sophisticated Montrose. Silky tannins, lifted aromatics and mid-weight structure are the signatures. Time in the glass brings out lovely red-toned fruit character, along with hints of spice, blood orange, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco. It will be interesting to see how the 2025 develops with élevage. Today, it is a bit on the lighter side relative to the norm here. Some of that may be attributable to winemaking. 2035 - 2065. 95-97 points." Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Apr '26------"Integrated and creamy tannins that are long and polished deliver an impressive palate of medium body, juicy fruit and a refined finish. Character of black and red currants with hazelnuts. Refined. Extremely long and polished, with plenty of Montrose character. Balanced. All there for the vintage. A blend of 77% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. 97-98 points." James Suckling, Apr '26------"Deep and nuanced plum fruit on the opening, vivid ruby in colour with tension, lift and estate signature. An extremely classic Montrose, love the lift with the depth of cassis, cocoa bean, liquorice, crushed mint leaf, squid ink, crayon, a supremely Left Bank wine, very much in the 2023 vein for me, which was a vintage I adored. This has precision and beauty, the kind of En Primeur sample where you feel fresh and energised at the end of tasting it. 60% new oak for ageing, Pierre Graffeuille director. 2035-2055. 97 points." Jane Anson, Apr '26------"A magical, utterly profound wine in the making, the 2025 Château Montrose is a classic blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc that will spend 18 months in 60% new French oak, with 12% press wine included in the final blend. Pure cassis, graphite, liquid violets, and spicy wood define the aromatics, and it's sensationally pure on the palate, with full-bodied richness, beautiful concentration, ripe, polished tannins, incredible class, and a great finish. It reminds me of the 2016 with its finesse... and maybe there's a touch of 1996 here as well. 97-100 points" jebdunnock.com------"A timeless classic in the making, the 2025 Montrose unfurls in the glass with notes of dark berries, black truffle, burning embers and violets, gaining in range and detail with aeration. Full-bodied, dense and elegantly muscular, it's layered and multidimensional, with a prodigiously concentrated core of fruit, exceptional quality of tannin and a long, resonant finish. The 2025 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, derived exclusively from the estate's historic core on the fourth terrace situated just in front of the château itself. With a pH of 3.65 and 13.4% alcohol, it remains classically balanced despite its impressive power and intensity. Readers will have a fascinating time parsing the nuances of style and quality between the 2025, 2023 and 2022 over the decades to come! 98-100 points." William Kelley, Wine Advocate, Apr '26------"The 2025 Montrose only comes from the Terrace IV, as has been the way since the 2023 vintage. It was picked from August 29 and finished not until September 20, so quite a long harvest, 16 days of picking between those dates. This vintage is matured in 60% new oak. This has another very intense nose with a potent graphite element that infuses the black fruit, beautifully defined but unapologetically classical in style. Wow. The purity of fruit is exceptional. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, very chiselled tannins, exquisite black fruit loaded with minéralité. So much freshness and vibrancy, gentle but insistent grip, very precise and refined on the finish, this is a Montrose that will rank as one for the ages. Wow (again). Drinking Window: 2032 - 2060. 98-100 points." Neal Martin, Vinous, May '26 |
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