Chateau Monbousquet Blanc 2005
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Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More Burgundian than Bordeaux-like, Gerard Perse’s 2005 white Monbousquet exhibits rich, medium to full-bodied flavors of smoky oak, mango, white peaches, honeysuckle, and nectarine. While delicious, its aging potential is suspect, and I suggest consuming it over the next 4-5 years
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Robert
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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.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
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.