2019 Monbousquet Blanc

The 2019 Blanc d'Exception is laced with hints of apricot, dried almond, tangerine peel, mint, spice and light honey notes. This blend of 2/3rds Sauvignon Blanc and 1/3rd Sauvignon Gris works so well. The Blanc reveals an attractive tropical side with air, but it needs 6-12 months to soften, as there is some edginess at the moment and less of the plushness of some previous editions.

Touch of reduction on the first nose, with gunsmoke edges. Enjoyable push and pull between steely acidity, and rich, seductive brioche and rich citrus. A delicious white wine with impact. 3.6ph. 49hl/h yield. Just 1ha of white vines that were planted in 1994, the first white vines in St Emilion for decades, but not the last, with increasing numbers of producers now turning corners of their vineyards over to white grapes. 50% new oak for 8 months, 25% one year, 25% in stainless steel vat (this is the first time that Monbousquet Blanc is not entirely aged in oak and it accentuates a cleaner edge while still keeping with the signature gourmet style).