A thrilling selection of perfectly rated St. Emilion Bordeaux, these elegant 100 pt. vintages of the legendary Cheval Blanc seamlessly layer opulent, concentrated fruit with silky smooth tannins promising a rich and storied evolution for decades to come, earning their place among the world's most celebrated and collectible red wines with a pedigree James Suckling describes as "mindboggling" at a best on the market price.
Boasting an exceptionally complex terroir with a patchwork of different soils, Cheval Blanc's vineyards blend Pomerol's typical clay with the gravel common to St. Emilion, each of its 45 plots vinified separately and then aged for 3 months in barrel before the final blend is assembled and aged for 16 to 18 months in 100% new French oak. A blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, Antonio Galloni describes the seductive 100 pt. 2020 Cheval Blanc as "a wine of mind-blowing balance" calling it "one of the truly great wines of the vintage," that "will no doubt deliver unbridled enjoyment when it's ready" according to Decanter's Georgina Hindle. Called "one of the unequivocally great wines of the vintage" by the Wine Advocate's William Kelley, the sensational 100 pt. 2019 Cheval Blanc boasts 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon with a "remarkably lush and fine-grained texture" according to the Wine Spectator's James Molesworth while Inside Bordeaux's Jane Anson describes the magnificent 2018 100 pt. Cheval Blanc as "exceptionally good and extremely elegant," a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Described as a "masterpiece" by Antonio Galloni of Vinous, the opulent 100 pt. 2016 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 58% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, revealing a "beautifully ripe texture, finishing long and earthy" according to the Wine Independent's Lisa Perrotti-Brown and the rich and refined 100 pt. 2009 Cheval Blanc boasts a "rare mix of elegance and power" according to Jeb Dunnuck with "flawless balance," the blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc entering its window of drinkability after over a decade of pristine cellaring.
Summing up Cheval Blanc's reputation as one of the longest-lived Bordeaux, Antonio Galloni of Vinous declared "There is simply nothing like a great Cheval Blanc in all of Bordeaux" – these 100 pt. gems promising to prove that point in a big way with some seriously enjoyable drinking over the next decades for those fortunate to stash some away.
A great Cheval Blanc that stands up to the potential that I found during en primeur. Extremely restrained and classic in its construction, shot through with points of mint, liquorice, raspberry and eucalyptus. The fresh aromatics mean you could almost think that it is from a cool year, except for the huge density that runs through the palate, along with a creamy texture. Extremely good-quality. Something that you are going to want to put away for a good few decades. I get big, chewy tannins on the finish. Exceptionally good and extremely elegant. 3.77pH. Bottled July 2020. A yield of 44hl/ha.
100 points, Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)
Love the floral character to the aromas of dark fruit, such as blueberries and black cherries. Red and black licorice, too. The full-bodied palate starts slowly and then expands with super polished, searing tannins that lead you up the palate into a place of grandeur. Lightly chewy at the end. Such great purity and presence here. 6% cabernet sauvignon in the blend with franc and merlot. Try after 2028.
99 points, James Suckling (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a 3.75 pH and 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling and air to releases fragrant notes of stewed plums, juicy black cherries and ripe blackberries with underlying suggestions of damp soil, black truffles, rose oil and cardamom with wafts of underbrush and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with rich black fruits and loads of earthy accents, framed by super firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness to balance, finishing with amazing length and a beautiful array of floral and mineral sparks. Thirty-three plots contributed to this wine, out of the forty-three in production. Of the rest, five went into Petit Cheval and five into bulk. It will need a good 6-7 years at least to really start to strut its stuff and should cellar for a further 30 years or more.
98+ points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Cheval Blanc is magnificent. In a vintage in which so many wines are opulent and dense, Cheval Blanc maintains striking translucence while conveying the natural radiance of the year. Silky, perfumed and exceptionally vivid, the 2018 pulses with energy from start to finish. Sage, mint, lavender and mocha all meld together on the sumptuous finish. Cabernet Franc, such a Cheval signature, has probably never been so ripe. In a word: dazzling.
98+ points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Mar 2021)
Showing beautifully from barrel and now from bottle, the 2018 Château Cheval Blanc is a final blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a pure, classic Cheval Blanc in that it relies more on complexity and elegance than power, offering a beautiful perfume of red and blackcurrants, spring flowers, spice, forest floor, incense, and tobacco. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Cheval Blanc offering wonderful purity of fruit, a seamless, layered texture, incredible tannins, and a lengthy, focused finish. It shows less of the sunny style of the vintage now than it did from barrel, and it's a wonderfully complete wine that delivers awesome freshness in its aromatics, plenty of ripe, sweet fruit, and the tannins and structure that seem to come from a long, cooler season. Reminding me slightly of the 2016, with a touch of the 2001, give this gorgeous wine 5-7 years of bottle age, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.
98 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Mar 2021)
The first thing that strikes about this wine is its massive density. The second is the richness of the structured Cabernet Franc that is such an important element in the blend. Weight is balanced by the intense fruits and amazing freshness of a wine that has such concentration. This wine will age for years. Don’t touch it before 2027.
98 points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast (May 2021)
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