One hour decant. Warm nose of red currants, red plum, dried oregano, and hints of molasses and cinnamon stick. A mix of black currant, black plum, peppery blackberry and black olive rolls over lots of rocks and graphite. Bold tannins are rounded and smooth but still provide a strong bite on the finish, with light acidity leading to leather, earthy plym and lots of silt, with graphite building up for the finale.
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As time drips and the wine crawls down the wrong side of my stained glass, I have realized, I am a very demanding creature. Even this beautifully voluptuous wine cant rid me of my lack of the thrill of my past, in my search for big, muscular terroir expressive wines. This is a big wine and has the 4 basic gears to get it from a stand still, to a cruise speed of 75 miles an hour in less than 30 minutes, but I hear the disturbing high rev of the engine at max speed, and I am grinding my own gears, in search of the much needed overdrive. So instead, we downshift into third gear, and enjoy the big sounds of the 10 cylindered engine as the torque grinds against my teeth and the peeling tires leave their dark marks all over my dingy, purple teeth. Yes, if you came looking for girth, depth, and big fruit wrapped in brewing coffee, with an undeniably big and echoing linger, then the 2005 Monbo is your jam...(no pun intended). But I think that I am just into zippy, nimble, supercharged machines that are built for that relentlessly continuous forward pull on a long stretch of windy road. But either way, this is in the drinking zone for all thrill seekers...Drink!
My last bottle of this wine, brought to a Bordeaux and pizza event with a theme of ‘affordable.’ Double decanted about 90 min before the event. I only had a small pour but it was delicious, full throttle fruity, a nice touch of age on it, good acidity to balance the food. This was one of the favorites of the night for many people. I had a debate with a friend before we tasted about whether right bank wines are good with pizza—he prefers them with typical Italian food and left bank with pizza. I think this bottle proved to him that there are exceptions!
My final bottle of this vintage, this is blend of ~60% Merlot, ~30% Cabernet Franc and ~10% Cabernet Sauvignon. A tawny rim fades to deep ruby at the core. Notes of mocha, ripe plums and wet wood, anise, and a hint of charcoal. Some herbal notes as well, giving this big wine some needed lift and freshness. The tannins are still quite gritty and omni-present, even at 19 yrs of age...perhaps a bit rough around the edges, but not to the overall detriment of the wine. Drink through 2026+.
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Served in my wine course (gift from A&D). Green pepper and sage in the nose. A pleasant and nicely balanced inner sweetness to the fruit in the mouth and tannins in the finish. Very enjoyable.
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5/4/2024 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 93 Points
One hour decant. Warm nose of red currants, red plum, dried oregano, and hints of molasses and cinnamon stick. A mix of black currant, black plum, peppery blackberry and black olive rolls over lots of rocks and graphite. Bold tannins are rounded and smooth but still provide a strong bite on the finish, with light acidity leading to leather, earthy plym and lots of silt, with graphite building up for the finale.
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5/3/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote: 92 Points
As time drips and the wine crawls down the wrong side of my stained glass, I have realized, I am a very demanding creature. Even this beautifully voluptuous wine cant rid me of my lack of the thrill of my past, in my search for big, muscular terroir expressive wines. This is a big wine and has the 4 basic gears to get it from a stand still, to a cruise speed of 75 miles an hour in less than 30 minutes, but I hear the disturbing high rev of the engine at max speed, and I am grinding my own gears, in search of the much needed overdrive. So instead, we downshift into third gear, and enjoy the big sounds of the 10 cylindered engine as the torque grinds against my teeth and the peeling tires leave their dark marks all over my dingy, purple teeth. Yes, if you came looking for girth, depth, and big fruit wrapped in brewing coffee, with an undeniably big and echoing linger, then the 2005 Monbo is your jam...(no pun intended). But I think that I am just into zippy, nimble, supercharged machines that are built for that relentlessly continuous forward pull on a long stretch of windy road. But either way, this is in the drinking zone for all thrill seekers...Drink!
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (7)
5/2/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
My last bottle of this wine, brought to a Bordeaux and pizza event with a theme of ‘affordable.’ Double decanted about 90 min before the event. I only had a small pour but it was delicious, full throttle fruity, a nice touch of age on it, good acidity to balance the food. This was one of the favorites of the night for many people. I had a debate with a friend before we tasted about whether right bank wines are good with pizza—he prefers them with typical Italian food and left bank with pizza. I think this bottle proved to him that there are exceptions!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
4/14/2024 - drrobvino wrote: 89 Points
My final bottle of this vintage, this is blend of ~60% Merlot, ~30% Cabernet Franc and ~10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
A tawny rim fades to deep ruby at the core.
Notes of mocha, ripe plums and wet wood, anise, and a hint of charcoal.
Some herbal notes as well, giving this big wine some needed lift and freshness.
The tannins are still quite gritty and omni-present, even at 19 yrs of age...perhaps a bit rough around the edges, but not to the overall detriment of the wine.
Drink through 2026+.
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2/12/2024 - juffer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Served in my wine course (gift from A&D). Green pepper and sage in the nose. A pleasant and nicely balanced inner sweetness to the fruit in the mouth and tannins in the finish. Very enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment