2022, Château Monbousquet, SAINT-ÉMILION

Bordeaux Blend: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.

The 2022 Monbousquet is gorgeous. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2022 offers up an exotic mélange of sumptuous red/purplish fruit, lavender, mint and rose petal. Curvy and sumptuous, with striking fruit purity, Monbousquet is super-impressive in this tasting. 92-94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.

Ripe and expressive nose, full and fruity, open and aromatically quite forward with clearly concentrated fruit. Quite lean on the palate though, some tension and potency in the flavours - dark blackcurrant and exotic spices with fresh mint that gives a cooling touch. Appealing precision and charm. 90 Georgina Hindle, Decanter.

This is exuberant, with the creamy texture to the blackberry and black cherry fruits that is found so often in the vintage. Ink, graphite, chocolate, heading towards overly sweet which drops the momentum towards the finish. 3.83ph, 30hl/h yields. 50% new oak. Testing cover crops to look at lowering soil temperature, but mainly this year they turned the soil during the growing season to avoid it hardening in the heat. 89 Jane Anson.

Drinking Window: 2027 - 2039