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Château Montrose 2004

A few months ago I pushed the 1994 Château Léoville-Barton into the Weekend Wine spotlight. This was on the basis that, on checking my cellar records, in terms of the sheer number of bottles I have stashed away Léoville-Barton took third place, with only two other Bordeaux châteaux enjoying greater representation (admittedly, there are more than a handful of Loire domaines which wipe the floor with them, but that’s another story). I figured that this week it was time for my number two Bordeaux, which brings us to Château Montrose.

In recent years Château Montrose has been on a high-quality roll, a property at the very top of its game, turning out some of the very best wines in Bordeaux, both in benevolent vintages such as 2022 but also more difficult years such as 2021 and 2023. Part of the estate’s success can be attributed to the investments made by the current owners, the Bouygues family, who made their money in telecommunications (when I switch on my mobile after landing in France it is not infrequently the Bouygues mobile network it chooses to connect to). They acquired the property in 2006, so this week’s wine takes us back to the time immediately predating that sale, when the estate was in the hands of the Charmolüe family.

Through several centuries of the estate’s history there are only a handful of names associated with Château Montrose. First was Dumoulin, who essentially created the estate, Etienne Théodore Dumoulin having cleared and planted the vineyards, which were at that time part of Calon-Ségur. When he sold this larger property he kept this part of the vineyard he had planted for himself, and thus Château Montrose was born. Then came Dolfus, specifically Mathieu Dolfus, who shaped the estate as we see it today, extending the cellars, sinking a well and building accommodation for his workers, creating the Montrose estate as we see it today. He even built a small railway to run between the property and the estuary banks, where the barrels of wine would be loaded onto boats for transport down to the Bordeaux docks; much to my disappointment, this is defunct.

Then came Charmolüe.

Château Montrose 2004

It was Louis Victor Charmolüe who acquired the estate, and it was under his direction that the vineyards were replanted using grafted vines after phylloxera. The property was subsequently passed to his son, and then his grandson, Jean-Louis Charmolüe, who took over in 1960 (just in time for the 1961 vintage – good timing!). This was a good era for Montrose; Jean-Louis invested in the facilities, re-equipping the cuverie, building a new barrel cellar, and he introduced a second wine, all work which sowed the seeds for the modern-day renaissance of the estate under the direction of the Bouygues family.

This brings us to 2004, not one of the most charismatic vintages of the first decade of this century. While some vintages of this decade have strong identities, good or bad, such as 2005 or 2007, there were also a handful of middling vintages which were rather more anonymous, principally 2008, 2006 and 2004. The wines of 2004 tend to be classically styled wines of modest impact with lighter midpalates; they can drink well, but they rarely (if ever) excite in the same manner as a wine born in, for example, 2000, 2005 or 2010. A less desirable vintage, they can as a result be a little easier on the pocket, while still giving pleasure and a glimpse of a property’s style.

Opened and left in the decanter for two hours, at a cool temperature, once in the glass the 2004 grand vin from Château Montrose displays a dark and broad centre, with an opaque core of a black raspberry hue, with a matt claretty rim. The nose is quite classic, with a savoury Cabernet-driven style, and a lovely sense of freshness for its twenty-plus years, with saline elements reminiscent of bracing sea spray and iodine cast over notes of black olive stone, rose petals and crushed minerals. This translates into a similarly fresh and savoury palate (so the nose wasn’t lying!), with notes of salty black olive stones and currant skins dusted with black pepper, all set in a light texture which comes framed by finely grained tannins and fresh acidity. It feels juicy and very correct, with a school-teacherly reserve, the tannins washing through the finish with a dry grain before a delicately peppery length. In truth this is a quite delicious style, with some of the dark, brooding, savoury elements that seem true to the vineyard, but the lighter midpalate weight betrays the limits of the vintage, allowing the acidity to shape the wine here. Drink or hold; those tannins could yet resolve further, although the benefits will be modest. This will always be a savoury, lighter but delightfully drinkable Montrose. The alcohol on the label is 13%. 93/100 (20/10/25)

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