2022 Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France 750ml

The 2022 Montrose is such a compelling wine that assigning it a bracketed score seems a mere formality. A brilliant terrior, impeccable viticulture, perfectly timed harvest dates and judicious extraction have aligned to deliver a monument in the making, reminiscent of a far purer, more precise, modern-day version of the 1990 vintage at this address. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, violets, iris, pencil lead and cigar wrapper, it's full-bodied, deep and authoritative, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, elegantly muscular core that's framed by supple, powdery tannins, concluding with a long resonant finsh. A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, this only confirms Montrose's status as a de facto first growth and unquestionably one of the contemproary Medoc's very greatest estates. (WK)