Andrew Jefford | Dark, opaque black-red. Earthier more than fruity at this stage, though rather closed and reserved in general (contrast the fragrance and intricacy of Cos). The Montrose monolith; the Montrose monad. It smells like a ’17, with its wintry, cool tones, but it fills the glass and does so with assurance. Wait a while, for sure. And all of that is exactly what you’ll find on the palate. It’s very pure and very deep, close-seamed, savory as well as fruity, fresh as well as dense, and grand in its overall dimensions: admirable, all of that. Yet Montrose is a wine that can contrive to taste wintry and cool even at 14%—in a ripe vintage; it’s in the nature of the place (and the clays of the place). You might, thus, feel that this vintage takes it teetering over the edge a bit, toward the glacial, toward permafrost. I’m exaggerating, of course—it’s memorable claret— but you should know what you’re in for. Towers and crags, frosty nights, and black-ink, Gothic- novel shivers. | 92

Michael Schuster | Dense, closed, gravel-imbued nose; rich, brisk in acidity, finely firm in tannin. A deep, blackcurrant ripe fruit core, long, mineral-backed, and complex, sinewy and severe at the moment, but with excellent length, and thus likely to reward in its fine, cool way—in 15 years or so. Long-term, classically austere, quality St-Estèphe, but no hurry to buy or to broach. 2034–44+. | 92