Really like the 1998 and 1999, loaded up on this wine as an every day drinker!
MONBOUSQUET
St.-Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Ownership-74 acres, 6,000 to 7,000 cases produced
Average age of vines, forty years
25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon & 70% Merlot
1999-A remarkable effort for the vintage, the dense ruby purple colored 1999 Monbousquet exhibits a Port like bouquet of super ripe black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with scents of coffee, tobacco and vanilla. Tipping the scales at a whopping fourteen per cent alcohol (extremely high for Bordeaux), this wine possesses an amazing texture, a mid palate that you could get lost in and a sensational forty to forty five second finish. The exotic aromas, incredible texture and abundant fruit are reminiscent of Pomerol’s renowned micro cuvee, Le Pin. The 1999 is even better from bottle than it was from cask. Drink: 2005 to 2017. Last tasted, 1/03. Rating, 94. RP
Made in a nearly over the top style, the saturated purple colored 1999 exhibits overripe blackberry, blueberry, cassis, chocolate, espresso and toasty oak notes. This exotic, lush effort possesses immense chewy texture, low acidity, gorgeous purity and a viscous finish. A thrilling effort, this full bodied, creamy textured wine is neither heavy nor disjointed. Drink: 2005 to 2017. Last tasted, 4/01. Rating, 92/94. RP
Every Monbousquet produced under the Perse regime to date has been super. The 1999 is made from 60% Merlot and the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it is one of the few 1999 blockbusters. A sexy, compellingly rich, magnetic effort, this black beauty exhibits thrilling notes of plums, blackberry fruit, cherry liqueur, toast, licorice and spice. Extraordinarily nuanced, with medium to full body, no hard edges, well integrated, sweet tannin and a finish that lasts for 40+ seconds, this compelling effort is atypical for the vintage. Yields were a low 30 hectoliters per hectare. Some of the Merlot was harvested at a whopping 14.5% natural alcohol. Geez! Drink: 2002 to 2018. Last tasted, 4/00. Rating, 93/96. RP
What can one say about the remarkable efforts Gerard Perse has produced at his home property, Monbousquet, as well as his more recent acquisitions of Pavie, Pavie-Decesse, and La Clusiere? He has provoked anger, jealousy, and envy among the Bordeaux cognoscenti, but the bottom line is that his wines are brilliant. He spares no expense or effort to turn out great clarets from properties that were perennial underachievers. RP
1998-Earlier vintages continue to suggest that this cuvee has far greater longevity than expected given the opulence and enormous fruit. For example, the 1998 and 1999 remain infants in terms of development, and the 1995 is just coming into a preadolescent stage. 4/06. RP
Yields of 28 to 30 hectoliters per hectare are among the lowest in St.-Emilion, which no doubt accounts for the wine’s explosive richness. The final blend, 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, was bottled unfined and unfiltered after 18 months in 100% new oak, with aging on the lees. It boasts a saturated plum, purple color in addition to an exotic bouquet of Asian spices, plum liqueur, prunes and blackberries. Extremely full bodied, unctuously textured, structured and well defined, this spectacular achievement will drink well young, yet last for two decades. Drink: now to 2020. Last tasted, 1/03. Rating, 94. RP
The terrific 1998 is the finest Monbousquet yet produced. A black, purple color is followed by a spectacular, soaring nose offering jammy blackberry, blueberry fruit, kirsch liqueur, new oak and spice box aromas. Huge, dense, full bodied, and powerful, with thrilling levels of extract and richness, moderately high tannin, and a sweetness and purity that must be tasted to be believed, this wine should drink well in two to three years, and last for two decades. Bravo! Drink: 2002 to 2020. Last tasted, 4/00. Rating, 92/95. RP
Since Gerard Perse took over this estate, Monbousquet has become one of the most opulently textured, sexiest, and popular St.-Emilions. The 1998 is no exception, and Perse believes it is the finest wine he has yet made. The color is a deep saturated black, purple. Stunning aromatics of blackberries, raspberries and smoky new oak explode from the glass. A textured, open knit, full bodied wine with abundant glycerin, concentration and ripe fruit, this hedonistic, consumer friendly effort will be immensely popular when released. It should drink reasonably well young, even though it possesses more structure than previous vintages, yet keep for 12 to 15+ years. In 1998, yields were 26 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink: 1999 to 2014. Last tasted, 4/99. Rating, 90/93. RP