chateau montus rouge 2010

"the development of the madiran appellation owes a lot to alain brumont, whose ambition and perseverance have made him an example of success for his peers. born into a family of owners - château bouscassé in the same appellation - alain brumont acquired montus in 1979, replanted the vineyard himself and produced his first vintages with basic equipment. however, he was an immediate success, and soon began producing dry white wine in the pacherenc-du-vic-bilh appellation. today, he is also the owner of bouscassé, and he strives to maintain the reputation of his estates. on the 90 hectares dedicated to red wine at château montus, the soils and plants are cultivated using sustainable methods and the harvest is entirely manual. the wines are traditionally vinified in stainless steel vats, then aged for 14 months in new oak barrels (between 50% and 100% depending on the cuvée), for an exceptional density and smoothness. the château currently produces three red wines: château montus, montus xl and la tyre, the montus-prestige having been abandoned in 2004 in favour of a higher quality château montus. the tannat and cabernet sauvignon vines that make up this cuvée grow on the beautiful plots of land in the madiran appellation. they flourish on an exceptional terroir, composed of a sloping clay soil covered with large pebbles and gravel. the grapes are de-stemmed, punched down, then sorted by berry before being cold-macerated for two days and fermented for three weeks in wooden tuns. the wine is aged 50% in new barrels and 50% in one-wine barrels. vinified with care by alain brumont, a true lover of the vines, it exhales black fruit aromas, such as blackcurrant and prune, as well as spicy notes. on the palate, the tannins are numerous and tight but with great finesse. the power is controlled, between depth and length. this is a wine to be enjoyed after a few years of ageing, at a temperature of 16 degrees, and accompanied by a fine piece of meat.