Château Montrose St.-Estèphe will prove to be a hot-shot within the second- growth line up, if one were to profile them and compare (yeah, let’s go). You could name Montrose the Johnny Depp of wines; attractive and charismatic, buzzed about by guests for its darkness and mystery, if not for its open sex appeal. Okay, maybe I’m guilty of enjoying (or fantasizing about) a slutty wine from time to time, but Montrose is no cheap whore! Read: high paid escort. What I’m saying here is that the wine, when aged properly (at least ten years, but better 15-20) it becomes obviously available in nose and palate, but still keeps us enticed by not revealing all of its charms at once. Once open, Montrose is known to be giving, bold, and not afraid to show itself off… yet classy and refined. More masculine than, say, the often talked about first growth, Margaux, but not over the top in stature. Montrose can be seriously exotic while keeping its finesse.
So, if you’re after something worthy of collection, or you can’t afford the high paid escort, but want to live vicariously through a bottle, you can find Montrose in specialty retailers from anywhere between $85-$600 depending on vintage. The famed 1990 received 100 points from Wine Advocate, hence hailing a high price tag and scarce availability. Because Montrose is a large estate by Bordeaux standards, with approximately 150 acres of vineyards, predominantly cabernet, and because it is a second-growth, it’s not impossible to find. This is great news for us, because it can be every bit as exciting as a first-growth, and for the right occasion, financially obtainable.
