I extend my congratulations and accolades to the relatively young new proprietor of Monbousquet, Gerard Perse. With his acquisition of Pavie, Pavie-Decesse, and La Clusiere, he has quickly become the most powerful player in St.-Emilion. This is good news for consumers since Perse is obsessed with quality. For example, he has reduced yields to under 30 hectoliters per hectare, and is doing everything to ensure a natural expression of his vineyards' terroirs. At a blind tasting in New York City, Monbousquet, inserted as one of the sleeper picks in a tasting of the top 1995s, was selected as the finest wine by a majority of the more than 125 people in attendance! I have heard grumblings from some of St.-Emilion's old timers about Perse's aggressive acquisitions, but no one can criticize the man's commitment to quality. The 1996 Monbousquet is an outstanding effort. The wine is slightly tannic, but it exhibits an exotic nose of kirsch liqueur, cassis, roasted herbs, espresso, and mocha. It possesses excellent texture, impressive depth and richness, and sweet toasty oak. The saturated dark ruby/purple color suggests a dense wine. The finish is both long and well-delineated, with moderate tannin. This beautifully-etched Monbousquet will take several years to come around. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2017.