wine details
reviews
Decanter 93/100There's great concentration here but it's juicy at the same time, delicious in its liquorice and plummy black fruit notes. There are traces of heat from the higher than usual alcohol levels in the Cabernet Sauvignon (Montrose wine director Vincent Decup called it 'the ultra-concentration of the Cabernets'), but again it's balanced by softly seductive tannins. There was a little less mildew here than at Montrose, so they managed a 45hl/ha yield, harvested between 18 September and 4 October. 3.65pH. 93IPT.
Jancis Robinson 17/20
51% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Harvested 18 Sept to 4 Oct. Around 70% of the crop was produced this year. Barrel sample. Deepest cherry red. Intense, dark but quite introvert fruit, with notes of crushed rocks. Deep and rich in fruit, chewy but not at all tough, just dense. There's excellent freshness from the tannins, which finish a little chalky. Generous and structured at the same time. (JH) Drink 2026-2036
Parker 93-95
Lisa Perrotti-Brown. This vineyard, owned by Château Montrose, has a bit more clay and is more inland than Montrose. The 2018 Tronquoy-Lalande is composed of 51% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from September 18 to October 4. Deep purple-black in color, it has a very spritely and open-knit nose of freshly crushed blackberries, black cherries and redcurrant jelly with touches of spearmint, lavender and milk chocolate with a hint of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely packed with layers of black fruits with a lovely display of red fruit sparks, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long.