A follow-up to the recent 2005 and 2019 tastings. Monbousquet has my interest right now. Obviously still young, but undoubtedly a knockout. Full body. Extra powerful. Very potent. Major graphite. Boysenberry, like the extinct Knott's Berry Farm pancake syrup. Some forest floor. Three pours: Coravin the first night, and bottle opening the third night. So delicious the first night that I went back for another Coravin pour. Like the 2019, the way the fruit hits the pallet immediately is highly satisfying. Nontraditional pairings: The Chastain burger and fries the first time, and pulled pork the second time. I will continue to track down different vintages given my current intrigue. I have found a new Bordeaux to collect! Still very high QPR relative to Pavie, the best comp I know. Any other similar Bordeaux that I should try near the Monbousquet price point? I would appreciate the community's advice. Revised upward to a 95.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My wife likes very young Bordeaux's, and I like 30+ year old Bordeaux's. This bottle was opened for my wife. It was drunk without any decant. This is a deep dark purple opaque wine. The wine is made up of 60% merlot, 30% cabernet franc, and 10% cabernet sauvignon with 14.5% alcohol. This is a huge big bodied wine and very varietal for its makeup. It has a firm consistency and powerful intensity. It's hard to guess as to how many years this wine will take to calm down. The tannins are firm, and the structure is austere. If you like young wines you'll like this one since it's not too mean to drink now. It's a good dollar value for Bordeaux of this quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really dissapointed. On the strength of the reviews both here and elsewhere I bought a case of 6 (OWC) from a reputable Bordeaux supplier. On opening, the cork and wine was not faulty, but on the first taste it had this incredible bitterness to it, I decanted for 4 hours using an oxygen machine, tasted again and decanted for a further 4 hours, whilst the bitterness was reduced it still was overwhelming, like bitter chocolate. Perhaps most people like that, I certainly don’t. I then hoped it would be better with food, meatballs and spaghetti, so a robust meal for this wine, but again this underlying bitterness was very apparent. I have nailed the case down with the remaining 5 bottles in it and placed on a bottom shelf in the cellar in the hope that given time this will become a good wine, fingers crossed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Day 1: Really good on the pop and pour. Roasted Chesnuts, dark currants, bitter chocolate, dust, wood and gravel. Complex wine and super amazing value at $49.99 from WTSO. 93 points Day 2: This is showing well for such a young wine. Dark currants, bitter chocolate, dust, wood, gravel, plum and earth. A cross between modern and traditional. Excellent. 93+ points Day 2.5: Even better with wood, dark currants, mild smoke, gravel, spices, cigar, plum and earth. Concentrated wine and long finish. 94 points Day 3: For sure not even close to day 2 or 1 experience. Recommendation: Decant for 3 hours and enjoy. This will drink well through 2034.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I purchase a few of these each year and wanted to try this on release to evaluate whether to get more. I’m on the fence. I liked it and it’s a proper Bordeaux, with a smooth texture and darker red fruits plus an old work vibe (tobacco, leather). On the other hand I didn’t get as much straight enjoyment as with other bottles I’ve had recently. Will probably age and evolve well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
5/18/2024 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
A follow-up to the recent 2005 and 2019 tastings. Monbousquet has my interest right now. Obviously still young, but undoubtedly a knockout. Full body. Extra powerful. Very potent. Major graphite. Boysenberry, like the extinct Knott's Berry Farm pancake syrup. Some forest floor. Three pours: Coravin the first night, and bottle opening the third night. So delicious the first night that I went back for another Coravin pour. Like the 2019, the way the fruit hits the pallet immediately is highly satisfying. Nontraditional pairings: The Chastain burger and fries the first time, and pulled pork the second time. I will continue to track down different vintages given my current intrigue. I have found a new Bordeaux to collect! Still very high QPR relative to Pavie, the best comp I know. Any other similar Bordeaux that I should try near the Monbousquet price point? I would appreciate the community's advice. Revised upward to a 95.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2024 - DrELW Likes this wine: 90 Points
My wife likes very young Bordeaux's, and I like 30+ year old Bordeaux's. This bottle was opened for my wife. It was drunk without any decant. This is a deep dark purple opaque wine. The wine is made up of 60% merlot, 30% cabernet franc, and 10% cabernet sauvignon with 14.5% alcohol. This is a huge big bodied wine and very varietal for its makeup. It has a firm consistency and powerful intensity. It's hard to guess as to how many years this wine will take to calm down. The tannins are firm, and the structure is austere. If you like young wines you'll like this one since it's not too mean to drink now. It's a good dollar value for Bordeaux of this quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2024 - Peter Sydney Does not like this wine:
Really dissapointed. On the strength of the reviews both here and elsewhere I bought a case of 6 (OWC) from a reputable Bordeaux supplier. On opening, the cork and wine was not faulty, but on the first taste it had this incredible bitterness to it, I decanted for 4 hours using an oxygen machine, tasted again and decanted for a further 4 hours, whilst the bitterness was reduced it still was overwhelming, like bitter chocolate. Perhaps most people like that, I certainly don’t. I then hoped it would be better with food, meatballs and spaghetti, so a robust meal for this wine, but again this underlying bitterness was very apparent. I have nailed the case down with the remaining 5 bottles in it and placed on a bottom shelf in the cellar in the hope that given time this will become a good wine, fingers crossed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2024 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Day 1: Really good on the pop and pour. Roasted Chesnuts, dark currants, bitter chocolate, dust, wood and gravel. Complex wine and super amazing value at $49.99 from WTSO. 93 points
Day 2: This is showing well for such a young wine. Dark currants, bitter chocolate, dust, wood, gravel, plum and earth. A cross between modern and traditional. Excellent. 93+ points
Day 2.5: Even better with wood, dark currants, mild smoke, gravel, spices, cigar, plum and earth. Concentrated wine and long finish. 94 points
Day 3: For sure not even close to day 2 or 1 experience.
Recommendation: Decant for 3 hours and enjoy. This will drink well through 2034.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2024 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I purchase a few of these each year and wanted to try this on release to evaluate whether to get more. I’m on the fence. I liked it and it’s a proper Bordeaux, with a smooth texture and darker red fruits plus an old work vibe (tobacco, leather). On the other hand I didn’t get as much straight enjoyment as with other bottles I’ve had recently. Will probably age and evolve well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment