Monbousquet Rouge 2018 (3.0L)

94-97 WS / 94-95 JS / 93-95 WA / 92-94 JD

Lushly fruited, with creamy boysenberry and plum preserve flavors gliding through, this is going to be for the hedonist crowd. Extra anise and spice notes fill in, revealing steady grip through the finish. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Very refined and savory with a lovely core of dark fruit and round tannins. Silky and oozing with finesse and class. - James Suckling

The 2018 Monbousquet is composed of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested September 27 to October 9 with yields of 39 hectoliters per hectare. The wine has a pH of 3.78 and 14.38% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it sashays out of the glass with beautiful, flamboyant red roses, chocolate box and molten licorice scents over a core of crème de cassis, plum preserves and Morello cherries plus fragrant wafts of underbrush, lavender and cloves. Full-bodied, rich and wonderfully elegant, the palate delivers layers of black fruits and spices, wrapped in a cashmere shawl of tannins, finishing very long and incredibly perfumed.-Lisa Perrotti-Brown. Wine Advocate

The 2018 Monbousquet is a smoking wine that has tons of fruit and charm, yet it’s also balanced, pure, and elegant. Blackcurrants, smoked earth, chocolate, and graphite notes all give way to a concentrated, sexy, seamless wine that has fabulous tannins as well as length. This wine always delivers fruit and texture, but it also possesses beautiful purity and elegance in 2018. It should be snatched up by readers.-Jeb Dunnuck