The 1996 edition of the Chateau Montus opens with an encyclopedic nose of pipe tobacco, dried cassis fruit leather, tamarind, wet clay soil, and dusty earth. After 40 months in barrel and 24 years in bottle, the tannins in this wine have finally resolved into a rich, velvety and elegant palate, still firm structured but gentle in its age. The acidity is similarly resolved, shining a light on each flavor but with no sharp edges. Tamarind and cassis, blackberry, iron, ore, and orange oil all feature. The finish leaves behind a touch of dark chocolate, dried cranberry, and blackberry. This is a wine to drink next to a fireplace. This is a wine with leather elbow patches, and would be the perfect foil for standing rib roast. For all the intensity, structural elegance and beauty of this wine, the fact that it's 12.5% alcohol is one of the surest signs that this wine was not made for critics. It was made to enjoy with a hearty meal.