“It’s one from the cellar tonight, Eddie!” Looking for something to try, that ended up scoring well with the critics, I got my corkscrew into a St-Emilion 2009 Chateau Monbousquet with my husband Eddie’s blessing. It had been a bit since my last one bottle post so I got my pen and pad ready too.
This red Bordeaux is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is from the St-Emilion region of Bordeaux, in the Grand Cru Classe, and has 14% alcohol.
The color was very dark, with a browner red edge indicative of an aged red wine and not surprising. I opened the bottle an hour before dinner to decide whether or not to decant. The flavor at that time was very dry, dark, and tannic. I left the cork out for 30 minutes, tried again, and decided to fully decant for about 30 minutes before a dinner of homemade French Fries and cheeseburgers.
Aromas: Before decanting I noticed a lot of earth, stewed dark fruit and wet leaves. I looked no further and decided to try again later (after the decant) and to finish my notes then. After decanting: fresh and lively blackberry, boysenberry, and blueberry – nice dark fruits that were all showing much better after decanting! Also found both milk and dark chocolate, and a sweeter earthiness. Much more welcoming than before I decanted.
Flavors after decanting: a very round mouthfeel that showed off all of the dark blue and black fruits, much milder tannins, and warming spices. I liked the slow dance between the fruit, tannins, and spice; with not one taking over the benefits of the other. In my opinion this wine is ready to drink now at 15 years of age on it.
Critic scores, tasted 2012 through 2019, courtesy KL Wines (They also offer a waitlist to obtain the wine for $109.99.)
95 points James Suckling
94 points Wine Advocate
94 points Wine Spectator
92 points Int’l Wine Cellar
90 points Vinous
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Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
