Château Montus La Tyre & Prestige vertical tasting
Yohan Castaing tastes and rates nine vintages of La Tyre and seven vintages of Prestige, including the inaugural 1985 vintage. These are classy, age worthy wines, he says.
Alain Brumont, named the ‘hero of Madiran’ by Stephen Brook in a wonderful in-depth article for Decanter.com, is of the most interesting and energetic winemakers in the southwest of France.
Brumont is a tireless lover of the Madiran terroirs, and believes more strongly than anyone else that the beautiful hills of his native land can produce great wines.
The foundation of Montus’ quality is its exceptional vineyard. Year after year, Alain Brumont has endeavoured to select the best terroirs of the appellation, not hesitating to exchange, resell and buy back a total of several dozen plots, according to the qualities of their terroirs over time.
In 1990 he noticed a large 10-hectare slope, totally uncultivated, located on the highest part of the Madiran appellation at an altitude of 260 meters, at the lieu-dit of La Tyre, in the commune of Castelnau-Rivière-Basse.
The plot comprises rounded pebbles over strata of red and variegated clay. Facing south-west and planted only with Tannat grapes, the wines (first released vintage in 2010) produced here express the full potential of the Madiran appellation, with a contemporary vision of viticulture and winemaking techniques.
The Prestige bottling comes from a south-facing 4ha parcel of Tannat, and it spends two years in new oak, bottled without filtration. The same parcel is used for the XL, which can spend up to four years in new 600l barrels.
Both the La Tyre and Prestige wines are incredibly age-worthy, as evidenced at a recent vertical tasting where nine vintages of La Tyre from 2000 to 2018 were tasted, and seven vintages of Prestige, including the inaugural 1985 vintage.
This wine, discovered Brook in his interview, was inspired by Brumont ‘s visit to Bordeaux in 1979. It caused a sensation and his reputation was made.
The most recent wine tasted – La Tyre 2018 – is still in its infancy and will take a decade or more to fully reach its stride.
Château Montus La Tyre & Prestige vertical: 15 tasting notes and scores
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Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2000
The 2000 is the first labelled vintage of La Tyre. It exhibits aromas of perfectly ripe dark berries, liquorice, graphite and spices, with elegant herbal...
2000
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2001
The 2001 La Tyre is a real expression of a 'cold vintage' in Madiran, exhibiting aromas of ash, earth, graphite, dark berries and hot stones....
2001
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2002
The 2002 La Tyre has a delicate, shy bouquet, with spice, earth, herbs and peppery aromas. The bouquet becomes more fresh and elegant with time....
2002
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2005
Exhibiting an attractive nose of black fruit complimented by spices, flowers, earth, elegant herbal notes, and an alluring trace of smoke, the 2005 Montus La...
2005
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2006
In the footsteps of the 2005 vintage, La Tyre 2006 shows an 'al dente' freshness with less ripe grapes but a more charming and bright...
2006
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2008
The 2008 La Tyre offers a lovely bouquet of menthol, flowers, blackberries, blueberries and liquorice aromas. Perfectly balanced, the palate is fresh and delicate, with...
2008
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2010
La Tyre 2010 is a textbook wine for Madiran lovers. It has a sumptuous bouquet of dark berries, cherry, flowers and spices, intertwined with a...
2010
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2014
The 2012 La Tyre sneaks up on you with fresh, elegant, bright aromas of cherry, dark berries and flowers, intertwined with a delicate oaky frame....
2014
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus La Tyre, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2018
The 2018 La Tyre marks an evolution of the style, with a more velvety and fleshier texture with velvety tannins and racy acids. The bouquet,...
2018
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus Prestige, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 1985
The 1985 Montus Prestige, the first vintage ever produced, delivers a superb complexity and an elegant bouquet with ash, graphite, dark cherry and spice aromas...
1985
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus Prestige, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 1988
Less expressive and bright than the 1985, Montus Prestige 1988 stands out for its tobacco, smoky and spicy aromas, with a sumptuous yet classic bouquet....
1988
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus Prestige, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 1989
Despite the solar side of the vintage, the 1989 Montus Prestige offers a fresh and bright bouquet with cedar, graphite, spices, blackcurrant and earthy aromas,...
1989
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus Prestige, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 1990
The 1990 Montus Prestige delivers immense complexity and character, in a sunnier style than the 1989 vintage. Complex and profound, the bouquet is dense with...
1990
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus Prestige, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 1991
The 1991 Montus Prestige is a seriously good wine in the context of the vintage, with a mineral-driven, fruity style and blackberry, liquorice, herbs and...
1991
Alain BrumontMadiran
Alain Brumont, Château Montus Prestige, Madiran, Southwest France, France, 2000
A stunning Madiran in every sense, the 2000 Montus Prestige reveals a deep, complex and astonishing bouquet of graphite, liquorice, balsamic and cherry, intertwined with...
2000
Alain BrumontMadiran
