2004 Château Montrose- France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (12/15/2018)
Decanted 4 hrs. Ah yes, another great 04 which was the only sanely priced Bordeaux vintage until the 11’s came round, I had to chuckle as they were bought on some super sale at Binny’s in 2008 for $39.99. Ok, the wine: a wee bit of Montrose funk added character to the dark plums, a slight smoky hue, and well integrated oak spices. All at the table found this elegant and feminine, very easy to drink. In fact, served blind, I think I would have guessed a semi traditional Cote Rotie. Clearly, this is on a long, but gentle upward trajectory, and another 5 years plus could only add value. 10 years should see it in the zone. Very fine. (92 pts.)
My experience with Montrose will pale in comparison with most on this board, with that being said, I seem to recollect a slight funky / earthy quality on the nose (not so much on the palate) on past bottles and definitely on this guy - funk is a hard characteristic to put in words, but there you have it.
Thanks for the note. I’m in the early stages of planning a Bordeaux tasting for next year, and one of the proposed flights is a 2004 flight to check in at 15 years of age. I’ve not sampled many 2004s but will do so over the next few months to pull together the wines for the flight. As you note, 2004 was really the last “inexpensive” Bordeaux vintage, wines in my cellar from that vintage are a fraction of what I paid for comparable 05, 08, 09 and 10. My sense is that it is a good but not great vintage, with medium aging potential.
I really like the 2004 vintage, and glad to own it. I will quibble with you about the comment the 2004 was the last inexpensive bordeaux vintage. We had 2008, and more recently 2014. I think 2014 is an excellent vintage, better than 2004, and the pricing was comparable. I specifically recall paying about the same price for Leoville and other wines, but not Montrose.
Drank a bunch right at release as per annual Bordeaux at-release dinners that my local enthusiasts group used to arrange, after that I bought just a few and spread across all communes, and have been drinking one offs every year or so just to see where they are. Never wowed. Since I’ve only drank and bought relatively more Bordeaux from vintages 2000 to 2005, I’ll put 2004s at the bottom of the pecking order 2000-2005 (inclusive), even below the 2003s.
I hope they get better, I still have some in the storage.
I think we are on the same page Robert, from memory it seemed starting with 05, every vintage until 11 (or 12) seemed high irrespective of the overall vintage assessment. As to 2014, we are 100% on the same page as I have purchased more classified 14’s than any other vintage, and by a wide margin too. In other words, my vintage of the century!
Due to the actuarial tables I stopped buying new vintage Bordeaux after the 2009 vintage, so I never looked at the 2014s. As a comparison, I purchased 2004 Lafite, Haut-Brion and Margaux for $140/bottle back when they were released. Were 2014s priced that low?
You are bringing back painful/expensive memories. . . For the 2008 1st growths Premier Cru offered a 5 pack consisting of Lafite, Mouton, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion for $240/bottle. $1200 for the set, I ordered 2 sets and never took delivery as a result of the bankruptcy filing. Ouch.
Not, as Alan notes, the FGs came out at $200. I still cannot believe that i passed on that. But back to the 2014, a bunch of Classified Growths and other top Bordeaux came out at $55 and less. Leoville Barton. Haut Bailly. Domaine de Chevalier. Clerc Milon. D’Armailhac. Langoa Barton. Poyferre. Grand Puy Lacoste. Giscours. Gazin. Brane Cantenac. Rauzan Segla. Gruaurd Larose. Talbot. And others. It was quite a value vintage. Like Dale, I loaded up. And even went back to the well after trying some.
This is a really good wine. I think of Montrose as a 20 year wine before it even gets going. I picked up a six pack of these for $40 per. I’ve had a couple.
My note - 3.5 hour decant. Burgundy shoe polish color. Red currant and an earthy muskiness breathe up from the glass. This is like kissing a baby. Beautiful. Spherical in the mouth. This is offer red currant, tart, mid-palate licorice all draped over an iron-tinged spine. Plus finish awash in gravel. Fine sediment contrails follow the wine to the neck as I pour off the last drops. 93
This one seemed farther along than the 2001 iteration I tasted recently.
Haven’t had the 01 Montrose, but in general 2001 is going to last longer than 2004. 2004 is charming and early drinking, 2001 is more stern and tannic.
I’ve been lucky enough to drink quite of bit of 2004 Bordeaux over the last decade. Definitely not a great vintage, but a very very good vintage. IMO, one of the most underrated vintages of the 00’s. A lot of the wines are just starting to blossom now. I’ve never been disappointed by a 2004 Montrose until I had one next to the '05 which is very young but flat out stunning.
Increases in Montrose’s pricing have outpaced the general inflation in classified Bordeaux pricing a lot over the last 5 years or so. For both new releases and older stuff at auction
Speaking of FG prices, the 02 Firsts were less than $100 as futures, and I bought none (oh the humanity!). Of course, the 02s in general were super cheap by any standard… 9/11, a global economic slump, Parker skipped reviewing the wines in barrel for the first time in decades, plenty of the then-expensive 2000 vintage still in the pipeline… all conspired to make them a serious bargain. I remember seeing the 02 Pontet Canet on the shelf in NYC circa 2006 for $22 and the 02 Leoville Barton for $30 (I bought some of those).
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