Château Montus - Madiran Cuvée Prestige 2012

The Prestige cuvée is made from 100% Tannat grown on the estate’s highest and warmest south-facing plots. It is aged for an extended period in new oak (84 months for this 2012 vintage). The color is deep: a “black wine.” The evolved and generous nose harmoniously blends ripe fruit with oak notes and hints of roasted coffee. On the palate, a beautifully rich texture confirms the fruit’s ripeness and the quality of the aging. The wine is full-bodied, structured, smooth, and long, built on velvety, silky tannins. Despite its age, this vintage still holds considerable potential.

Alain Brumont was already at the helm of Château Bouscassé, his family’s ancestral estate, when he purchased Montus at auction in 1979. In 1982, he planted the entire Montus hillside exclusively with Tannat! Aged entirely in new barrels, the wine is extraordinary. Forty years later, in 2018, he welcomed Antoine Veiry, the son of his wife Laurence, who took over as the estate’s technical director after working at Anselme Selosse, with Hervé Bizeul at Clos des Fées, at Les Carmes Haut-Brion, and at Guigal... Surrounded by a young and dynamic team, Antoine challenges and builds upon the legacy of the Brumont era, favoring longer vatting periods and gentler extractions, while preserving the wines’ profile and aging potential. Drawing on a vineyard in its prime (between 35 and 40 years old), he has redefined a modernized lineup. In just a few years, the results have been spectacular, and the third star—already widely anticipated last year—is a well-deserved recognition of a production that stands at the pinnacle not only of its appellation but of the entire region.

Dark tannins still envelop this rich wine. Its dry palate is accompanied by ripe fruit and a solid structure. This wine, from the Madiran estate, is meant for long-term aging. It can be enjoyed now, but for the best experience, wait until 2023.