Exhibiting notions of spices, tobacco, blackberries, licorice and herbs, the 2018 Chateau Montus is medium to full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit framed by fine tannins that gently assert themselves on the finish. More intense and tense than the 2018 Bouscassé, it needs a couple of years in the bottle to chill out, but you can already see the potential. This is a blend of 80% Tannat, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc sourced from vines planted on pebbles and clay soils, matured 36 months in barrels, of which 40% are new.