This afternoon a few of us opened a bottle of 2016 Dame de Montrose. The hope was to get some help in planning out how to approach opening Montrose and a few of the other heavy hitters of the vintage later this fall- and in the process we came across a really great wine. I do not often drink the second label wines- but this was really superb.
And given how expensive this vintage is (yes the first growths are down from 09-10 levels, but for many top wines like Montrose 2016 represents new highs pricing-wise), I wanted to make special note of the TN here. While I know I am not alone in focusing most of my attention on the grands vins of Bordeaux, it seems very odd to me in this day and age that 2016 Montrose disappeared from my Total Wine in less than 24 hours (on top of all the futures orders), and yet there is a pile of the 2016 Dame de Montrose sitting on the shelves at one fourth the price several weeks later.
Pop and pour- consumed over following 90 minutes with friends
Good deepish purple red color, a bright young nose of cherries, cassis, a hint of plums and a good bit of white mineral, a slight roasted meat tone akin to that singular characteristic in the grand vin, on the palate silky tannins, cassis and cedar, good depth on the middle and a fine long finish, throughout there were great streaks of white minerals keeping the wine quite lively, over the course of two hours the evidence of the tannins retreated leaving a wine far more approachable than at first appeared to be the case, as with all second wines this lacks the full breed of the grand vin- but like the better vintages of Les Forts de Latour this a fine wine in its own right, superb stuff and for the $42 we paid probably about the best QPR to be found in this outstanding- and expensive- vintage.
This is good to know - I was in for a case on futures because the notes reminded me of the sublime 2010, which is one of those “this is why I drink wine” wines.
I think I have to disagree a little. Not that the 2016 Dame de Montrose is not terrific, because it is. I totally agree with all of that. But I have tasted that and a number of lower cost alternatives from the vintage, and The ones I stocked up on a bit I think offer the same level of quality, approximately, for even lower cost. That would be Capbern, Lilian Ladouys, and Potensac specifically. Ok, so to be a little less disagreeable, I think there are a lot of values to be had., and yes, including the Dame.
2016 La Dame de Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe (5/29/2022)
– opened approx. 45 min. before initial taste –
– tasted a couple pours non-blind over a couple hours –
NOSE: ripe, dark fruits; some oak; reserved; a touch floral with potting soil.
BODY: medium to medium-full bodied.
TASTE: ripe; good acidity; some oak, but not too much; deeply-embedded note of pencil shavings. Solid. Will benefit from time in the cellar.
These 2nd wines are great values in the better rated vintages. A real step-up from typical “daily drinkers” while also giving some window into the Grand Vins. A quirk is many of the 2nds have higher % of Merlot versus the Grand Vins so it is not a true comparison. But I have had great success with this category of wines.
My personal favorites that typically sell for under $50:
Le Petit Haut Lafite
Brio de Cantenac
Sarget de Gruaud-Larose
Sirene de Giscours
Fugue de Nenin
The 2016s were impressive when they came out but in retrospect I think the vintage is even greater still, on the once-in-a-generation level, and one of the signs was that the second wines were way better than they had any right to be.
I have been wondering if the 2016s will become the next 1982, the vintage in people’s minds that is the greatest vintage of a generation. Interesting thread.
As others have mentioned, there are so many good 2016’s. Hard to beat the 2016 Lafon Rochet at under $50, where you can still find at that price. Every time I think I have enough 2016 in the cellar I read a thread like this and wonder why we don’t have more.
Yea me too, Ed. It’s the one vintage I keep “backfilling”. Not a fan of 2015 or 2018. I now prefer 2016 to my beloved 2014. And many are still reasonably “open”. Have had a Bourgneuf and a Chasse Spleen in the last two weeks out of 375.
Robert, I can see where the 2018’s might not be in your wheelhouse, given the higher alcohol levels. That being said, try the 2018 Cantemerle. I like the 2018 more than the 2016. But, more importantly, my wife likes the 2018 better, so that is ‘green light’ to purchase!