Saint-Estèphe Second Growth with hillside gravel soils, a dense grand vin, and three estate wines.
The producer
Château Montrose is a Saint-Estèphe château in Bordeaux, classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. Etienne Dumoulin created the estate for its unique hillside gravel terroir. Martin and Olivier Bouygues acquired it in 2006. The range includes the grand vin Château Montrose, second wine La Dame de Montrose, and third wine Tertio de Montrose. The grand vin is dense and masculine, with blackcurrant, cherry fruit, minerality, and concentrated tannins, then ages in French oak.
Known for
Saint-Estèphe gravel reds
Notable facts
Etienne Dumoulin established Château Montrose on a unique hillside gravel terroir.
Château Montrose is classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
Martin and Olivier Bouygues acquired Château Montrose in 2006.
The estate uses geothermal heating and cooling, solar power generation, and water conservation programs.
The story
The Gravity Cellar
When Martin and Olivier Bouygues bought Château Montrose in November 2006, the working cellar had changed little since the 1950s: grapes moved by pump, fermentation happened above ground, and the facility was functional rather than designed for any particular winemaking intent. The brothers, whose group had built motorways and broadcast infrastructure across France, commissioned a new building rather than patch the old one. The brief was gravity-fed: fruit arriving at the top of the building, descending through sorting, fermentation, and barrel ageing under its own weight, with no pump required between stages. Construction ran for nearly a decade. The 2016 harvest was the first processed entirely in the completed facility, and the 2016 grand vin was subsequently rated among the strongest Château Montrose had produced in the modern era.
From the atlas
Château Montrose
A Saint-Estèphe château with a Second Growth classification, three wines, and a hillside gravel vineyard.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Saint-Estèphe
Wines
Château Montrose, La Dame de Montrose, Tertio de Montrose
The Producer
Château Montrose is a Saint-Estèphe château in Bordeaux. Martin and Olivier Bouygues acquired it in 2006. The grand vin is dense and masculine, with blackcurrant and cherry fruit, minerality, concentration, and ripe tannins.
Place
Saint-Estèphe is the appellation on the bottle, and Château Montrose is classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. The appellation names the wine's regional origin; the classification records the estate's position in the Bordeaux hierarchy.
The vineyard covers 95 hectares on deep gravel with sand and clay in the soil. Gravel drains water and stores heat, while sand and clay affect water retention around the roots. The site is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.
Story
Etienne Dumoulin created Château Montrose because of its unique hillside gravel terroir. Gravel can provide drainage and stored warmth, while clay can retain water around the roots. These conditions can help red grapes ripen while retaining acidity.
Wines
Château Montrose, La Dame de Montrose, and Tertio de Montrose are the estate's three wines. Château Montrose is the grand vin, La Dame de Montrose the second wine, and Tertio de Montrose the third wine. The grand vin is aged for approximately 18 months in approximately 60% new French oak.
La Dame de Montrose 2016 is 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Its palate brings ripe black fruit, licorice, and vanilla, with balanced tannins and freshness.
Final Word
The estate operates a geothermal pump for heating and cooling, generates electricity with solar power, and runs water conservation programs.