Chateau Monbousquet (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2005
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a less than noble terroir in Saint-Sulpice de Faleyrens, Gerard Perse has accomplished miraculous things at Monbousquet. Prior to his acquisition of this property in the mid-nineties, this wine tasted like watered-down Beaujolais, but Perse has turned it into one of the more stunning, modern-styled wines of Bordeaux. A blend of approximately two-thirds Merlot, one-third Cabernet Franc and 8-10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 exhibits plenty of toasty oak, roasted herb, meat juice, blackberry, cherry, and spice characteristics along with a touch of incense. Full-bodied and opulent, with an atypically rigid structure, this is a remarkable achievement for such a humble terroir. It admirably reflects Gerard Perse’s obsessive commitment to excellence. Look for this 2005 to hit its stride in 7-8 years, and last for 15-20.
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Wine Spectator
Shows beautiful aromas of crushed blackberry, currant and sultana. Full-bodied, with superfine tannins and a long, caressing finish. Balanced and beautiful. Best after 2012.
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More than four centuries of history define Château Monbousquet, passed through the hands of many successive owners, its production acquires since the 18th century a very good reputation in Saint-Emilion.
In 1993, Gerard Perse (owner of Château Pavie) took ownership of Monbousquet, leading to many great accomplishments and a complete renovation, including a new drainage system, a barrel ageing cellar and state-of-the-art equipment introduced. After over a decade of ownership, Monbousquet was promoted to Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, becoming one of the region's leading wines.
Located 500 meters from the south slopes of Saint-Emilion, Château Monbousquet benefits from an exceptional terroir diversity with a parc of 7 hectares in the heart of the property and two distinct types of soil for the vineyard. One composed of sandy-clay soils, allowing a fresh, fruity and powerful expression of the Merlot, accounting for about 60% of the blend. On the south part of the property, you’ll find more gravelly soil, therefore rather warm, allowing the significant proportion of Cabernets to provide softness and substantial structure. This complexity gives to Château Monbousquet a unique character yet proper to the terroir of the right bank.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.