Montrose St. Estephe 2024

Vivid deep colour in the glass. High acidity as well as sweet and sour fruit make the first impression – lifted and charming this has a fun personality while being structured and long. Fine tannins support the blackcurrant and chocolate elements and I love the licks of wet stone on the finish. A little charged, somewhat unusually for the vintage, but the concentration really works. You don’t get the impression they struggled at all. Great texture and balance. Very impressive. Optical sorting. A yield of 38hl/ha. 45% grand vin production up from 41% normally. 13% press wine. Ageing 60% new oak for 18 months. Drinking window: 2032-2058. (Georgina Hindle,decanter.com)