Château Montrose

Château Montrose is both one of the youngest and most famous Grands Crus of the Médoc. It was only in 1815 that the heather hill overlooking the Gironde is cleared and planted with Etienne Théodore Dumoulin, who had inherited his father bought the property in Segur family in 1778. A castle and farm buildings are built and the vineyard is 50 ha in 1850.
It was at this time that the castle took its current name in reference to the colors of the hill at the time of flowering. rapid and remarkable success, excellence of the wine he is to be ranked 2nd in 1855 Grand Cru! Dumoulin children are separated from the area in 1861 in favor of Mathieu Dollfus that consolidates the past efforts and built a real small village fully turned to wine production model. The damage caused by phylloxera lead to new changes.
In 1896 the property passed into the hands of the Charmolüe family, wealthy owner of many castles whose neighbor Cos d'Estournel. Three generations of Montrose Charmolüe maintain the highest level until 2006, when brothers Martin and Olivier Bouygues, big fans of raw, make acquisition. They then entrust management to Jean-Bernard Delmas, old and highly respected manager and Deputy Director of Château Haut-Brion that he left in 2003 to retire.
The vineyard of 95 hectares in one piece spans a deep gravel hill on clay marl basement and goes up the Gironde which gives it a temperate microclimate very favorable for cultivation. On this land well oriented big grave, maturation is both premature and quality. The vines are Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (1%). The average age of the vines is 37 years and the average planting density of 9,000 vines / ha. The greatest importance is attached by Jean-Bernard Delmas to vines and all the work needed to produce a quality wine cultivation, replanting, plant density, thinning and green harvest.
Besides the great wine, the field produced from the 1986 vintage a second softer wine and high quality "La Dame de Montrose" to about 1/3 of the total volume.

33180 Saint-Estèphe, France