Chateau Montrose - La Dame de Montrose 2025

Jeb Dunnuck: A Merlot-heavy blend of 82% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, mostly from clay and limestone soils and resting in 30% new oak with 20% foudre, the 2025 La Dame De Montrose is medium-bodied, round, and supple, with a beautiful sense of elegance. Ripe framboise, juicy currants, violets, and sappy flower nuances all shine on the nose, and it's almost impossible to resist today, with remarkable purity and gorgeous tannins."

Falstaff: Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Schwarze Beerenfrucht, Preiselbeeren, feine Kräuterwürze. Saftig, elegant, feine Extraktsüße, feine Tannine, kirschiger Nachhall, mineralisch-salzig im Abgang, harmonisch und gut anhaftend, bereits entwickelt und zugänglich."

James Suckling: A brightness and freshness, with red currants and oyster shells. Medium body, with fine tannins and a crunchy, crisp finish. A blend of 82% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon, 5% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc."

Vinum: Mit 42% Merlot etwas stärker vom Merlot geprägt als in anderen Jahren; strahlende Frucht, dunkle Kirschen, Brombeeren, dezent Tabak, florale Noten; am Gaumen saftig, sehr frisch, die feinen Tannine umgarnen die knackige Frucht, der Wein zeigt Balance, Rasse und eine gute Länge; im Abgang salzig und rotfruchtig. Ein Zweitwein, der es mit manchem Erstwein aufnehmen kann."

Decanter: Incredible colour in the glass, bright pink-purple rim. Wild blue and black bramble berries with a salty tangy aspect on the nose - fresh and fragrant. Cool too. Smooth and shiny, this is sleek, really lively and upfront with such a juicy, fresh core. Quite lightly presented - definitely fine, delicate and refined with a soft edge of liquorice and clove. Really quite a hands-off style but there’s power surging through without the muscle. Quite impressive. 3.5pH. 76 IPT. 8% press. Ageing 12 months: 15% new oak, 20% foudre, 5% amphoras and the rest one-year-old barrels. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend."

Lisa Perrotti-Brown: Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 La Dame de Montrose skips out of the glass with bright, cheery notes of wild blueberries, red cherries, and black raspberries, plus hints of tar, roses, and dried mint. The medium-bodied palate is silky and elegant with bright, intense blue and red berry flavors and floral accents, lifted by a crisp line, finishing long and fragrant. Beautiful! The blend is 82% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 13.7% with a pH of 3.5. It is aging in oak barrels, large and small, with 15% being new oak."

Jane Anson: Mouthwatering finish, plenty of slate character, pumice stone, rose bud, iris flowers, ripe but not overripe, clearly this is juicy with some bright fruits, but creamy underneath - a world away from the kind of exuberant 2022 vintage, so take your pick on which style you prefer. August 29 began harvesting the reds for the first time (in 2022 it was September 2), then continued until September 20 so almost one month harvest. Terrace 3 and young plants saw reduced canopy height to manage water stress, but on Terrace 4 (the main estate wine) they were able to work as normal. 30hl/ha yield. 15% new oak, 5% amphora. Lower new oak than usual so slightly shorter ageing is expected. Looking forward to tasting the new Terrace 3 wine which now sits in between La Dame and the main wine, not released En Primeur."

Wine Advocate: Unwinding in the glass with notes of dark berries, fruitcake and spices, the 2025 La Dame de Montrose is medium- to full-bodied, deep and dense, with a lively and layered core of fruit, supple tannins and a bright, sapid finish. It's a blend of 82% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, incorporating maturation in different vessels (20% foudre and 5% amphora) and fewer rackings to maintain a more reductive profile that is better suited to the Merlot-dominant blend."