Learn everything about Chateau Monbousquet St. Emilion with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Monbousquet History, Overview
Chateau Monbousquet is another St. Emilion estate with a long history in the appellation that can trace its history all the way back to 1540. At the time, Monbousquet belonged to François de Lescours, before it became the property of the well-established De Carles family.
In fact, Monbousquet remained in the hands of the de Carles family for almost 150 years. The beautiful, classically styled chateau was built in 1648 by Jacques de Geres. The chateau is now the private home of Gerard Perse and Chantal Perse along with the rest of the Perse family.
At the close of World War 2, the Querre family purchased Chateau Monbousquet. With their efforts, Chateau Monbousquet began making better wines.
Gerard Perse buys Monbousquet
In 1993, the Querre family sold Chateau Monbousquet to Gerard Perse and Chantal Perse for $9,000,000. Chateau Monbousquet was the first vineyard purchase by Gerard Perse. Little did he, or we know, it was not going to be his last purchase.
The first vintage of Chateau Monbousquet for Gerard Perse was the difficult 1997. I have never seen a bottle, but I have been told that at best, there were only 1 or 2 barrels produced out of the entire harvest! To keep that in perspective, that means somewhere between 300 and 600 bottles were made that year.
Shortly after Gerard Perse obtained Chateau Monbousquet, he began renovating the estate. The entire 32-hectare vineyard of Monbousquet was analyzed and drained. This limited rises in the water table during prolonged wet spells in future vintages.
Next, they completely rebuilt the winemaking facilities and cellars at Chateau Monbousquet. Gerard Perse also constructed an entirely new barrel-aging cellar for his Right Bank estate.
In February 2013, Gerard Perse sold a portion of Chateau Monbousquet to a large, anonymous, French, pension fund. The sale was motivated by French tax laws.
This allowed his daughter Angelique and her husband, Henrique Da Costa to eventually take over all the Perse-owned wineries which include Chateau Pavie, Chateau Bellevue Mondotte, and Chateau Pavie Decease. as well as their estates in the Cotes de Castillon appellation.
Chateau Monbousquet Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
The 32 hectare Monbousquet Saint Emilion vineyard is planted to 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This shows a change in the vineyards since it was first purchased by Gerard Perse, with more Cabernet Franc and less Merlot in the vineyard.
The vines are planted to a density of 5,500 vines per hectare. The average age of the vines is 40 years. The terroir of sand, clay, and gravel soils is not the best in St. Emilion.
The vineyard can be divided into three sections. For the red wines, You find more sand and clay in the north and more gravel with sand in the south. However, Gerard Perse gets the most out of their terroir.
In part, intentionally striving for low yields is one method to increase concentration and improve quality. For example, in 2009, the yields were only 28 hectoliters per hectare.
To produce the wine of Chateau Monbousquet, vinification takes place in a combination of small, temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and French oak tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels.
The wine of Chateau Monbousquet is aged in 50% new, French oak barrels for an average of 20 months. Nearly 6,000 cases of Monbousquet are produced each vintage. There is a second wine, Angelique de Monbousquet.
The Best vintages of Chateau Monbousquet are: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2005, 2001, 2000 and 1998.
Chateau Monbousquet Blanc
Chateau Monbousquet also produces a dry white Bordeaux wine from 1 hectare of vines planted in sand, clay, and gravel soils. The section of the vineyard devoted to white wine grapes is planted to 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon. The Semillon is young vines, as that grape variety was added later.
Chateau Monbousquet Blanc is fermented in stainless steel tanks, before aging in a combination of 38% new, French oak barrels, vats and used oak barrels. There is no malolactic fermentation or skin contact.
Starting with the 2018 vintage, the estate renamed the white wine to Monbousquet Blanc d’Exception. The production of the white wine is limited to not much more than 350 cases of Monbousquet Blanc d’Exception each year.
When to Drink Chateau Monbousquet, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Monbousquet is much better with at least 6-9 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted for 1-2 hours or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.
Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Monbousquet offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 8-20 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Monbousquet Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Monbousquet is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Monbousquet is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Monbousquet is also good when matched with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.
Monbousquet Blanc is perfect when served with all types of seafood, shellfish, chicken, veal, pork and cheese.
Château Monbousquet Wine Tasting Notes
32 Vintages 218,639 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
| 2021 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Fresh, juicy and sweet, with accents of flowers, black cherry, plum, creamy coffee and leafy herbs. The wine is medium-bodied, soft, forward and fruity, with a bit of dust in the tannins and in the chewy fruit finish. Close to 50% of the crop was lost to the frost. The wine blends 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.67% ABV. Drink from 2023-2037. 90-92 1,528 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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| 2020 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Black cherries, black plums, espresso, smoke, licorice, and a touch of cocoa form the aromatic profile. The wine is lush, polished, sweet and fresh with polished- tannins and a vibrant, refined finish with a mild savory, minty, fresh note in the background in the finish. The reduction in the amount of new oak, which is now 50%, really helps with the freshness, texture and fruits here. This is a top vintage for Monbousquet that will be enjoyable in its youth, yet age for up to 2 decades as well. Drink from 2023-2040. 19 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023Elegant, fresh, supple and long, the ripeness and purity in the fruits stand out. Medium-bodied, floral, juicy, lush and fresh, there is real length, complexity and character here. The wine is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and is aging in 50% new, French oak. The reduction in the oak helps with the freshness, texture and refinement here. 93-95 Pts 3,599 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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| 2020 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Blending 62% Sauvignon Blanc with 38% Sauvignon Gris starts right off the bat with white peach, lemon oil, cut grass and honeysuckle. Rich, supple and creamy with bright, fresh citrus and a touch of mango, you find lift, freshness and loads of fruit in the finish. 92 Pts 1,554 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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| 2019 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Medium-bodied, fresh, bright and smoky, with a focus on its sweet, red fruits on the nose and on the soft-textured palate. The finish is a bit oak driven at the moment, which will hopefully better integrate with time. Drink from 2023-2035. 2,409 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Starting out with salty aromas meshed with blackberry, black cherry, licorice and assorted dark fruits, this is much deeper, darker and fleshier than other recent vintages. The finish serves up a long wave of lushly textured, polished fruits and ripe tannins. The wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 92-94 Pts 5,233 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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| 2019 | Château Monbousquet Blanc d'Exception (Bordeaux) | |
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Just squeezed grapefruit, lemon rind, flowers and honeysuckle with tangerine open the wine. On the palate, the wine is fresh, vibrant and lush, with a sweetness and purity to the fruit along with a touch of vanilla to round out the citrus in the finish. Drink from 2022-2031. 738 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022 |
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| 2018 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Round, full-bodied, ripe and fruity, the wine is fleshy, chewy, round and concentrated. Oaky at the moment, with coaxing you also find blackberries, plums, cherries, fennel and espresso on the nose, palate and finish. It will take time for the oak to become fully integrated into the wine even though the percentage of new oak has dropped to 50%, placing the fruit center stage. 2,955 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021Round, juicy, concentrated and loaded with licorice, smoke, espresso, black cherry and blackberries, the wine offers more volume than usual but there is more energy in this vintage so you'll find lift in the finish. The wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 91-93 Pts 5,356 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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| 2018 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Honeysuckle, green apple, lemon chiffon, tangerine, flowers and tropical fruits with just a bit of honey is what you find in the nose and in the bright, juicy, fruity finish. The wine was made from 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Semillon and 5% Muscadelle. 1,395 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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| 2017 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Incense, red cherries, thyme and smoke open the wine. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, full, velvety, polished and forward. The fruit is bright and you sense true freshness. The percentage of new oak has dropped to 50%, placing the fruit center stage. 4,100 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
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| 2017 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Blending 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Semillon and 5% Muscadelle creates a lively vintage with lemon rind, grapefruit and floral notes. This bright, refreshing wine finishes up crisp with a pod of vanilla bean rappelling through the yellow citrus. 1,528 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
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| 2016 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Medium/full-bodied, with a core of smoky, licorice coated, plums accompanied by a blast of just brewed espresso and you have the nose. Round, lush and soft on the palate, the nose carries through to the palate in the end note. 3,298 Views Tasted Sep 26, 2019Deep in color, smoke, licorice and black cherry scents create the perfume. On the palate, the wine is lush, soft and polished and the plummy fruits are accented by licorice and espresso. Give this a few years for the oak to integrate. 6,181 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 |
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| 2015 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Oaky on the nose, with espresso, smoke, spice, vanilla, plum and cherry notes, the wine is medium-bodied, round, soft and already open. You can drink this now, or age it for more complexity. 4,101 Views Tasted May 21, 2018Medium-bodied, round-textured and packed with licorice, spicy black raspberries and a strong oak presence. The wine was made from a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon reaching 14.45% with a pH of 3.78. 3,810 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2016 |
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| 2015 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Citrus and floral notes, with fresh lemon peel and honeysuckle in a fresh and refreshing style. Made from a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Semillon and 5% Muscadelle 1,907 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2016 |
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| 2014 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Blending 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Semillon and 5% Muscadelle produced a wine with vanilla, lemon rind and grapefruit notes, round textures and a vanilla bean and fresh, crisp finish. 1,828 Views Tasted Apr 27, 2015 |
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| 2014 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Licorice, espresso and black raspberries with a forward, open, flashy, oaky, dark cherry finish. 88-90 Pts 5,455 Views Tasted May 10, 2015 |
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| 2013 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Refreshing lemon and pomelo in character, this soft, juicy wine finishes with a blast of grapefruit in the citrusy finish. 90 Pts 1,679 Views Tasted Apr 28, 2014 |
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| 2013 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Licorice, spicy red berries and oak are present in the attack, which carry through to the oaky, sweet cherry finish in this difficult vintage. The wine is aging in 60% new French oak. 87-89 Pts 5,516 Views Tasted Apr 28, 2014 |
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| 2012 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Coffee bean, licorice, smoke, spice and jammy black raspberries make up the perfume. On the palate, the wine is approachable, soft, polished and round, ending with an oaky, sweet kirsch finish. 89-91 Pts 6,612 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2013 |
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| 2012 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Fresh aromas of grapefruit, lemon, orange, honeysuckle and vanilla pair well with fleshy texture and fresh, citrus finish. This is an interesting wine as it features the highest percentage of Sauvignon Gris in Bordeaux. 90 Pts 2,004 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2013 |
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| 2011 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Light in color, with a briny, plum and espresso bean personality, this medium bodied wine is open, forward and ends with a soft, spicy, red berry finish. 3,758 Views Tasted May 21, 2014With licorice, cherry and earthy notes, this medium-bodied wine, with soft red cherries, spice, oak and olives in the finish, will drink well young. 90-91 Pts 4,678 Views Tasted Apr 24, 2012 |
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| 2010 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Coffee bean, oak, smoke and cherry notes open to a silky, soft, sweet, plummy wine packed with dense mocha covered cherries and lush textures. A few years will add to the wines complexities. 6,348 Views Tasted May 8, 2013Earth, sandalwood, coffee bean and ripe, jammy plum scents lead to a soft textured, round wine filled with sweet, ripe black and red berries and jam. 92-93 Pts 7,301 Views Tasted Jul 30, 2011 |
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| 2010 | Château Monbousquet Blanc (Bordeaux) | |
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Pineapple jumps to the front of the fragrance line, followed by lemon and green apple notes. The wine is rich, sweet, forward and fleshy. 2,647 Views Tasted May 8, 2013 |
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| 2009 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Ready to drink, the wine is medium bodied, earthy, smoky and easily serves up its soft, espresso and cherry driven character with ease. 3,190 Views Tasted Sep 20, 2019Licorice, smoke, incense, jammy blackberry and vanilla in the nose. Soft, supple textures, full bodied, concentrated, but showing a bit too much oak. 8,091 Views Tasted Jul 30, 20112009 Monbousquet is dark ruby. Spice, jammy dark berries, oak, and licorice comprise the perfume. The wine ends with black raspberries, chocolate, and spice. 90-92 Pts 9,037 Views Tasted Jun 29, 2010 |
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| 2008 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Espresso, spice and smoke, with incense and red fruits create the character. Medium bodied, fully developed, soft, sweet and ready to go. 3,356 Views Tasted Sep 17, 201808 Château Monbousquet, starting off with strong scents of oak, black fruit, and spice, is fat and concentrated, with a lot of character for a wine from the sandy soils of St. Emilion. Chocolate, spice, and ample black fruit comprise the finish. 90-92 Pts 5,419 Views Tasted Jul 1, 2009 |
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| 2006 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Truffle, smoke, licorice, cherry and jam aromas open up the wine. Fully mature, medium bodied, and still showing some oak, this is at its best today. 4,432 Views Tasted May 25, 2016Fresh brewed Espresso, black cherry, smoke, licorice and earthy notes are found in the nose. The wine is fat, round and open, ending with a ripe, black cherry and fresh herb finish. Produced from a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is drinking where it needs to be. 3,951 Views Tasted Oct 20, 2014 |
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| 2005 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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This modern styled St. Emilion is not going to please everyone with its coffee, licorice and jammy notes, but tasters seeking a lusty, plush, opulently styled, forward, very ripe expression of St. Emilion are going to love it. 7,903 Views Tasted May 19, 201360% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon produced a wine showing licorice, black cherry preserves, vanilla, coffee, plum and earth. Supple in texture, with layers of ripe, sweet fruits, coffee and licorice. If the oak tones down a bit, this will be even better. 9,834 Views Tasted May 16, 2012 |
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| 2004 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Fully mature, medium bodied and delivering its smoky, licorice, espresso and plummy character with ease. The wine is soft, round and still a bit oaky, yet it also delivers soft, supple, textured fruit. 3,296 Views Tasted Nov 19, 2017 |
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| 2003 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Advanced in color, with a smoky, coffee, licorice jammy nose, the wine is past its prime and lost much of its intensity. Drink up. 3,824 Views Tasted Dec 18, 2013 |
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| 2001 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Fully mature, with a coffee, jam, earth, fennel and black cherry nose, the wine is lush and round in texture, ending with a dark cherry and espresso filled finish. 2,971 Views Tasted May 19, 2013 |
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| 2000 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Full mature, round, fleshy, ready and easily showing its espresso, smoke, licorice, fudge and cherry profile, there is a lot of fat to the plush, ripe finish. No decanting needed here, just pop and pour. 4,236 Views Tasted May 10, 2017This wine is all about the opulent, rich textures. It's a wine of pleasure, but it lacks finesse in the ripe, oaky, sweet, jammy personality. Some tasters are going to like this wine a lot more than others. This is drinking at close to its full level of maturity. 6,887 Views Tasted May 19, 2013Coffee, smoke, black cherry, fennel, earth and barnyard notes create the aromatics. Lush in texture and filled with ripe, round, soft berries with a touch of oak, this is drinking about as good as its going to get. 6,316 Views Tasted Sep 20, 2012Ripe black fruit, coffee, mocha, oak, licorice and spice scents are easys to locate. The wine is rich, full bodied and is already at the perfect spot to enjoy. This should be enjoyed over the next 5 years to capture its essence. 9,495 Views Tasted Mar 5, 2010 |
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| 1999 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Sweet cherry tobacco, vanilla, licorice, oak and black fruit in the nose. Fully matures, with soft round textures, a medium length, dark fruit filled finish with a touch of oak. There is not reason to hold this wine any longer. It is fully mature. 6,866 Views Tasted May 22, 2010 |
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| 1998 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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Fully mature, with loads of espresso, licorice, smoke and black cherry, Round, easy to drink and ready to go, there is no reason to age this any longer. Just pop, pour and go. 3,929 Views Tasted May 10, 2017Chocolate, toffee, vanilla, fennel and jammy blackberry make up the perfume. Full bodied, soft textured and rich. The ripe dark fruit finish shows some wood. 7,854 Views Tasted May 22, 2010Fresh herbs, black cherry, smoke and hints of oak make up the aromatics. Good concentration allows the taster to enjoy a big mouthful of ripe, juicy, Merlot with added notes of licorice, vanilla and chocolate in this Bordeaux. 3,221 Views Tasted Oct 15, 2008Showing notes of spicy, jammy black fruit, coffee and licorice accents, this concentrated juice finishes with a clean, black fruit filled wallop. The texture becomes plush after an hour in the glass. But, this is not a finesse style of St. Emilion. 3,282 Views Tasted Aug 10, 2006 |
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| 1964 | Château Monbousquet (St. Émilion Grand Cru) | |
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About as dead as Julias Caeser, this light bodied wine was gasping for air the moment it left the bottle. I suppose the same thing would have happened to me, had I taken more than a few sips. 3,712 Views Tasted May 21, 2009 |
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