Château Monbousquet 2018

Jeannie Cho Lee

VertdeVin

The nose is fruity, elegant well-built and offers minerality as well as a fine grain. It reveals notes of ripe lemon, crunchy vine peach and small notes of crunchy/juicy pear associated with fine touches of crunchy pineapple as well as discreet hints of flowers, vanilla flowers and toasted. The palate is fruity, well-balanced and offers a good definition, an acidulous frame, delicacy, fullness as well as a fine grain and very finely tight. On the palate this wine expresses notes of ripe/juicy lemin, fleshy/juicy peach and small notes of juicy William pear associated with small touches of fresh/juicy pineapple as well as fine hints of juicy citrus, vanilla, toasted and minerality.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2018 Monbousquet is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has a pH of 3.78 and 14.38% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with energetic notes of baked blackberries, kirsch and Black Forest cake, following by suggestions of Chinese five spice, iodine, unsmoked cigars, eucalyptus and crushed rocks with a waft of lavender. The palate is full-on full-bodied, possessing tons of rich, spicy black fruits and a velvety texture, delivering impressive tension for this level of ripeness, finishing long with a lifted savoriness. Give it 3-4 more years in bottle and drink it over the next 20+ years.

James Suckling

Really attractive aromas of crushed berries and black cherries with some violets and stones. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ripe tannins that give it density and intensity. Classy, polished tannins. Try after 2026.