Chateau Montrose
In 1778, Etienne Théodore Dumoulin acquired a ridge of 80 Ha, that was covered with heather. It was sold to his family by Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur. The pink flowers on the land, inspired him to name his property “Mont -Rose”.
In 1815, the vines were planted, and the Château was built (near the commune of St.-Estephe), including all the facilities to operate the property and to produce wine. Only 40 years later, Château Montrose was ranked as a 2nd Growth in the Official Bordeaux Classification of 1855, a remarkable performance for a barely 40 years old vineyard. Encouraged by the success, Château Montrose expanded the vineyards to 95 Ha, which is its current size.
The vineyard is actually one single block of vines, which is very rare in the Bordeaux area and is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Also, the “terroir” belongs to the very best in Bordeaux, due to its unique gravel soil overlooking the Gironde. This estuary and the perfect drainage in the vineyard, have a decisive effect on the local microclimate.
In 1866, Château Montrose was sold to Mathieu Dollfus from the Alsace Region and he began almost immediately to reorganize the estate. He constructed a small village around the château for the workers and built some new farm buildings too. In 1896, the estate was sold to the Charmolüe family and this family stayed in charge for 3 generations and 110 years.
In 2006, Château Montrose was purchased by Martin and Olivier Bouygues and they have spent a considerable amount of money in further improvements, including a 1000 m² and 11-meter-high main barrel hall where the wine is able to mature in ideal conditions. They also produce a second (“La Dame de Montrose”) and even a third wine (“Le Saint-Estephe de Château Montrose”).
Top vintages for the “Grand Vin” are: 1893 (still a monumental wine!), 1928, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Three vintages received the perfect score by Robert Parker: 1990, 2009 and 2010.
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