Château Montus : La Tyre 2019

Tasting notes and serving advice for Château Montus La Tyre 2019

Tasting

Appearance

The appearance stands out for its deep, intense garnet hue—almost opaque—with violet highlights that reflect both the vintage’s youth and the fruit’s exceptional concentration.

Nose

The nose reveals a captivating, complex aromatic profile, dominated by intense black-fruit notes such as wild blackberry, blackcurrant and black plum, underscored by licorice. With aeration, the bouquet gains in complexity, opening onto hints of blond tobacco, fine cocoa, sweet pepper, violet, and mineral touches of graphite.

Palate

The palate is dynamic and juicy, shaped by powerful yet remarkably fine, silky tannins, perfectly integrated into a dense, velvety texture. The balance between ripe fruit richness and fresh acidity creates a thirst-quenching impression. The finish, full-bodied and very persistent, evokes subtle spices, garrigue and a mineral touch of graphite, promising excellent ageing potential.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs perfectly with a bone-in rib steak or dry-aged rib of beef, whose richness ideally complements the tannic structure. It also goes beautifully with game in sauce such as hare à la royale, roast pigeon, as well as fine cured meats such as Porc Noir de Bigorre or Barèges lamb. Truffle-based dishes, notably truffled mashed potatoes, create an outstanding harmony with this Madiran. Duck confit is also a judicious pairing.

Serving and cellaring

Château Montus La Tyre 2019 can be enjoyed now after aeration in a decanter, but its exceptional ageing potential will allow it to evolve until around 2044, or even beyond.

An exceptional Madiran by Alain Brumont

The estate

At the helm of Château Bouscassé, a family estate for several generations, Alain Brumont acquired in 1980 the Château Montus. A pioneer and visionary, Alain Brumont elevates the nuances and identity of tannat, the region’s signature grape variety, through high-quality wines whose reputation quickly spread beyond borders.

Through their finesse, power and elegance, Château Montus wines are the pure, authentic expression of the greatest terroirs of Southwest France. 

The vineyard

The La Tyre parcel, acquired by Alain Brumont in 1990, lies on the highest hillside of the Madiran appellation, at two hundred and sixty metres above sea level. This exceptional terroir features steep slopes covered with large Pyrenean rolled pebbles dating back forty million years, resting on red and variegated clays. The south-west orientation and prolonged sun exposure, combined with a light breeze that ventilates the pebbles, create ideal thermal conditions for optimal tannat ripening. The ten hectares of this parcel, planted entirely to tannat, benefit from the Brumont method, which limits each vine to only five or six bunches.

Winemaking and ageing

Hand-harvesting into small crates allows rigorous selection of the best grapes, complemented by optical sorting. Traditional vinification takes place in truncated-cone wooden vats with extended maceration of three to six weeks and regular punch-downs of the cap. Fermentation proceeds at a controlled temperature of twenty-eight degrees Celsius. Château Montus La Tyre 2019 then undergoes ageing on lees in one hundred percent new barrels for fourteen to sixteen months, giving the wine its hallmark notes of vanilla, cocoa and spices while enhancing its complexity.

Grape variety

100% tannat