Château Monbousquet's 1999 Saint-Émilion is an absolute whopper: dense, multidimensional and concentrated. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, it spent 18 months in new oak.

Château Monbousquet experienced mixed fortunes in the 20th century, and sadly its name as a great Saint-Émilion became synonymous with dull, dilute unattractive wines. However, the French supermarket magnet, Gérard Perse, who took over in the early 1990s oversaw a complete renovation of the cellar and vineyards and hired consultant winemaker, Michel Rolland. The quality of Monbousquet's wines literally soared, and have been consistently excellent ever since.

The 1999 Bordeaux vintage produced many well-priced wines in what was a tricky year, and once again Château Monbousquet proves that great wines can be made every year.

"The dense ruby/purple-colored 1999 Monbousquet exhibits a port-like bouquet of super-ripe black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with scents of coffee, tobacco, and vanilla. It possesses an amazing texture, a mid-palate that you could get lost in, and a sensational 40-45 second finish." eRobertParker.com (April 2002)