Château Montrose derives its name from the flowering heather that turned the hillsides pink – or rose. Sailors once called the blooming stretch overlooking the Garonne, “Mont Rose,” and the rest is history. Nestled on the southeastern end of Saint-Estèphe, less than ten miles from Lafite-Rothschild in Pauillac, Château Montrose gazes over the River Garonne on a ridge of gravel. This bed of gravel, black sand over clay, and marl subsoil represents the most perfectly suited soil in the appellation and is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot vines averaging 40 years old. 

 

The world-class estate was first planted in 1815 by Etienne Théodore Dumoulin. Forty-years later, the relatively young château was granted Second-Growth status in the 1855 official classification. When Etienne passed away in 1861, he left his heirs an estate of 95 hectares, which comprises its current size today – a true rarity. In 1866, the estate was purchased by the incredible steward, Mathieu Dollfus, who reorganized and modernized the facilities and also offered housing, free health care and profit sharing to his staff. The estate was then purchased by the Charmolüe family in 1896 who ushered the grand estate into the 21st century. Under their passionate guidance, the estate took its place as one of the greatest super-seconds of the left bank. In 2006, brothers Martin and Olivier Bouygues acted on a family dream and purchased the estate. Under their guidance, the grand château has been lovingly restored with total historical accuracy and the facilities have been completely updated. The brothers have also installed a geothermal system and rooftop solar panels, which has vastly reduced the estate’s carbon footprint. This 2001 Château Montrose is a pitch-perfect blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc that encapsulates the majesty of fine Bordeaux with every sip.

 

Only the best of the hand-harvested fruit is transformed into this world-class wine. The fruit is hand-sorted, destemmed, then placed in climate-controlled vats for twenty-five days of fermentation. The wine is then aged for eighteen months and racked roughly every three months in 60% new French oak from eight premium coopers. Then, the wine is drained from its lees via gravity and is traditionally fined with egg whites. The stunning result is a classic expression of left bank Bordeaux with velveteen tannins and the balance of sheer elegance.