Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
Learn More About Chateau Cheval Blanc Through its Reviews.
2022 Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
This wine is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon.
100 Pointz James Suckling
“This is a wine that soars to new heights with its brightness and weightlessness. The balance of serene fruit that’s perfectly ripe. Full-bodied yet tight and polished where it seems delicate and compressed, with berry, chocolate, and walnut character. The finish is endless and poised. Wine of the vintage? 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon.”
100 Pointz Vinous
“The 2022 Chateau Cheval Blanc is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Deep, seamless, and striking in its beauty, the 2022 possesses pedigree to burn. Readers will find a sumptuous wine, but there’s plenty of tannin lurking beneath all of that intensity. In fact, the 2022 is the most tannic Cheval since 2010. The aromatics are surprisingly vibrant for a wine from a warm, dry year. The wine's energy is palpable. The 100% new oak is not all perceptible, which is another sign of top-notch balance. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of exotic Franc notes, followed by blood orange, red fruit, mind, and dried herb touches. The 2022 includes 17% press wine (compared to the 11% or so that is typical), but as I have noted in my comments elsewhere in this report, the press lots were of high quality in 2022 because the winemaking was gentle. Once again, Cheval Blanc represents a pinnacle of excellence.”
99 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“One of the stars of the vintage is the striking 2022 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon that bursts from the glass with aromas of mulberries, cherries, and wild berries mingled with mint, orange zest, pencil lead, vine smoke, and exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety, and layered, it's rich and gourmand, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids, and a long, saline, pungently perfumed finish. Harvest began on 29 August, with all the Merlot picked before the month was out, and the result is a wine that is as vibrant as it is lavish.”
98 Pointz Jeb Dunnuck
“I was able to taste the 2022 Château Cheval Blanc in its individual components as well as a final blend, which is incredibly insightful when trying to understand a young barrel sample. The final blend is 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon (which is similar to the 2010), and as always, it's resting in new barrels. A deep, concentrated, structured Cheval Blanc, it has beautiful cassis, violets, flowers, and chocolate-driven aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated, structured 2022 that stays tight, focused, and firm on the palate, with very little in the way of baby fat, yet the tannins are fine and polished. With a stacked mid-palate and a great finish, this masculine, structured, dense, powerful 2022 is going to need a decade or more of bottle age, but it should be brilliant.”
98 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“The wine is very fine, elegant, and impressive. It has depth and concentration, being very floral and offering great black fruits alongside the firm tannins. There is a lovely line of succulent fruit and acidity. Almost accessible now, it is really set for long-term aging.”
Bonus Reviews
France
98 Pointz Jane Anson, Master of Wine Inside Bordeaux
“Kicks off with an explosive nose of freshly crushed red roses, liqourice root, and smoked sandalwood. The exuberance of the vintage means that this is a Cheval that feels more approachable at this stage than many years, but no less complex. Blueberry, raspberry, and cassis fruits, along with ink, soot, baked earth, incense, and saffran, closing to mouthwatering lime and mandarin zest that add juice and length on the finish. Just a great wine from director Pierre Olivier Clouet and the team. 100% new oak barrels for ageing. Harvest began on August 29 (earliest ever, with 80% of Merlot bought in by the end of August), then Cabernet Franc in by September 20. 3.86ph. No Petit Cheval this year, but just 78% of production in the 1st wine. And this is the first year where Cheval Blanc is just a simple, lowly AOC St Emilion, after its withdrawal from the classification. A potential 100 points.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
100 Pointz Decanter
“An extremely gorgeous 2022 taking the best from the vintage in terms of power, concentration, and structure and presenting it with elegance, purity, and a kind of quiet confidence that Cheval does so well. Crushed stones, salt, blue fruits, and soft perfumed aromas on the nose. Smooth texture, so fine, silky, supple, and agile, this has such an alluring energy from the first sip. Tannins are velvety soft providing a gentle grip with a powdery, chalky graphite, liquorice and fresh mint touch. This feels calm and controlled with the power coming slowly and subtly in the undercurrent of lush ripe fruit. Intensity is matched by accessibility with a combination of high acidity and appealing sweetness with layers of nuance and detail. So complete - nothing is missing here, but it's more about what it's not saying than what it is. A great wine that has potential for upscore in bottle. Potential 100 point wine. A yield of 27hl/ha, due to size of the berries. 3.86pH. 72IPT. No Petit Cheval this year, a total of 78% grand vin production.”
2021 Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
This wine is a blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
98 Pointz James Suckling
“This is so finely textured with very precise, tight tannins. Medium to full body. Lots of layers here with black and blue fruit, stones, tar, dark cocoa, and spices. Dried herbs. Long and persistent. Stays focused all the way. So precise.”
98 Pointz Vinous
“The 2021 Chateau Cheval Blanc is one of the wines of the vintage. Vertical and aristocratic in bearing, Cheval is just stunning. Time in the glass brings out compelling inner sweetness and perfume to play off a core of rich dark fruit, gravel, spice, menthol, and dried flowers. I also tasted the final three blending components, none of which hints at the magnificence of the Grand Vin. Stunning.”
97 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“A terrific achievement, the 2021 Chateau Cheval Blanc is a blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of cigar wrapper, vine smoke, rose petals, and violets, it's full-bodied, layered, and concentrated, with an elegantly muscular chassis of ripe, powdery tannin and lively animating acids. Long and penetrating, this is a serious, rather structured young Cheval Blanc that will require and reward patience.”
96 Pointz Jeb Dunnuck
“The Grand Vin 2021 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, and it's a big step up over the second wine, offering serious density, depth, and richness while still holding onto the style of the vintage. Pure cassis and darker fruits, notes of scorched earth and graphite, obvious minerality, medium to full body, and gorgeous tannins all define this beauty, which is unquestionably up with the finest wines of the vintage. A wine that's never about overt power or richness, the 2021 shines on all accounts with its complexity, elegance, and incredible texture.”
96 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“Nearly 60% of the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this is an impressively structured wine. Power and density are right up front, there are fruit and spice tones along with a fine lift at the end.”
Bonus Reviews
France
100 Pointz Jane Anson, Master of Wine Inside Bordeaux
“The 30th anniversary with Pierre Lurton as director, and the last official year as Premier Grand Cru Classé A following their withdrawal from the Saint Emilion ranking. Worth marking out for that fact alone, along with Ausone and Angélus, as whatever happens next there might be kudos in future years for having the last vintage where these three estates were at the top of the classification. This is easily one of the wines of the vintage, powerful, classical, and intellectual, with stretched out, taut tannins and a slow build of raspberry, redcurrant, and blueberry fruits, run through with rosebud and peony aromatics.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
96 Pointz Decanter
“Incredible aromatic complexity on the nose, just wow, the beautiful bitter dark chocolate, blackcurrant, blackberries, fragrant violets and roses, coffee, toffee, caramel, smoked earth, liquorice, and tobacco, I could smell it for hours! It wows on the palate too giving succulence, freshness, and juiciness balanced by integrated acidity and a backbone of spice coming from the Cabernet Franc - the highest percentage since 2011 and the first time outweighing Merlot at 52%. Perfume continues on the palate also, the soft fragrance giving the nuance while the satin tannins coat the mouth with bite and chew. Minerality comes across via wet stone and graphite edges with liquorice and clove spice. Constituent tastings of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc show how skillfully this was created. Still quite tense and linear at this point but showcases perfectly both the vineyard and vintage - each detail and decision in the glass with no let up of power or concentration. A fantastic effort from the team and winemaker Pierre-Olivier Clouet.”
2020 Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
This wine is a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
100 Pointz Jeb Dunnuck
“The Grand Vin 2020 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that was raised, as always, in 100% new French oak. As usual with Cheval Blanc, it's primarily about finesse and elegance, as well as complexity, and exhibits a deep purple hue as well as a kaleidoscopic bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, spring flowers, spicy incense, loamy earth, and smoke tobacco. Absolutely flawless on the palate, it's full-bodied, has perfectly integrated oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a gorgeous finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This powerful, concentrated Cheval Blanc offers pleasure even today (needs lots of air) but warrants 7-8 years of bottle age and will see its 40th birthday in fine form.”
99 Pointz Vinous
“The 2020 Chateau Cheval Blanc is eternal, seamless, and exceptionally beautiful. All the elements are so well put together. Rose petal, blood orange, raspberry jam, and cinnamon all take shape in the glass. Above all else, the 2020 Cheval Blanc is a wine of mind-blowing balance. Hints of mocha, raspberry jam, pomegranate, and spice emerge with time in the glass. Cheval is quite simply one of the truly great wines of the vintage.”
98 Pointz James Suckling
“Lots of blueberries and flowers such as violets and crushed stone. This is very structured and muscular with minerally tannins that run the length of the wine. Very Closed. Polished texture that gives it class and presence. This is one for the cellar. 65% Merlot, 30 % Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.”
97 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
Cellar Selection
“This wine has power and density. It also offers a perfumed intensity of black fruits and ripe tannins. The shape of the wine is already there even if it is still very young. Ripe and sweet, the fruit is delicious and open, bringing great freshness behind the structure.”
96 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2020 Chateau Cheval Blanc wafts from the glass with aromas of mulberries, plums, and cherries mingled with rose petals, licorice, sweet spice, and lilac. Full-bodied, broad, and voluptuous, it's layered and fleshy, with a ripe core of fruit, sweet tannins, and a long, expansive finish. While purists will gravitate toward the purer and more precise and perfumed 2019, the 2020 will appeal to readers who love the richest, most powerful expressions of Cheval Blanc. Drink 2027-2055.”
96 Pointz Wine Spectator
“Very alluring, with a well of dark currant, fig, and mulberry fruit flavors that have melded nicely, laced with black licorice, black tea, and sweet tobacco notes. Well-defined, with a subtle flash of warm earth at the very end. Remarkably polished for the vintage. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2029 through 2040.”
Bonus Reviews
France
100 Pointz Jane Anson, Master of Wine Inside Bordeaux
“Intense, indelible, with layer upon layer of blueberry, raspberry, pomegranate, fennel, liqourice, crayon, espresso, crushed rocks, just so much character and poise. The driest year at Cheval Blanc since 1959, with 71% of production from the 39ha estate in this wine, technical director Pierre Olivier Clouet. This continues to be bottled as Premier Grand Cru Classé A until the 2022 vintage, following its withdrawal from the ranking, which will make an interesting footnote for collectors I would imagine, but makes zero difference to the brilliance of what is in the bottle.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
98 Pointz Decanter
“Satisfying, edgy and seductive. The 2019 was perhaps more openly charming at this point, but there is lovely attention to detail here with delicate floral aromas, blue fruit, and liquorice aspects on the nose followed by a patina of flavours and textures on the palate. Rich and powerful, clearly concentrated but delivered subtly and carefully, not pushed too far. There's a clarity, precision, and purity to the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, with crushed stone saltiness, clove, aniseed, and liquorice root. I loved the 2019 more at this stage but this has excellent potential for long ageing and will no doubt deliver unbridled enjoyment when it's ready.”
18.5/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson,
Master of Wine
“Sublime wine which I underrated in the en primeur tastings. Lovely, lifted floral nose with a hint of violet. Very pure and fine, as is the palate with a mass of very fine tannin. Smooth attack, then long and extremely focused. There’s precision and balance and a mouth-watering, digeste quality as well. Delicious now but will certainly age.”
2019 Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
This wine is a blend of 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon.
100 Pointz James Suckling
“Blackcurrants, cassis, graphite, and earth on the nose, then changing to roses, violets, and berries. Full-bodied with incredible energy of fine tannins and lively acidity. It grows on the palate and escalates to the summit of perfect wine. Very powerful at the end. Holding back and a great finish. Quantity and quality. Menthol. Cool. One of the greatest young Cheval Blancs I have ever tasted. 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Great finish. Give it time.”
100 Pointz Vinous
“The 2019 Chateau Cheval Blanc is a stunning, riveting wine. There is simply nothing like a great Cheval in all of Bordeaux. Soaring aromatics are immediately alluring. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, espresso, and dried herbs build in a Cheval that possesses tremendous layers and exceptional balance. Clean, mineral notes lend tension and drive. The 2019 is a bit strict today and not ready to show all its cards, but it is very clearly a special, special wine in the making. In 2019, the Grand Vin represents 82.5% of the estate's production, a very high amount by any measure. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2019 is an eternal Cheval Blanc.”
100 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“One of the unequivocally great wines of the vintage is the 2019 Chateau Cheval Blanc, a stunning young Saint-Émilion that wafts from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with notions of lilac, pipe tobacco, violets, raw cocoa, licorice, crushed mint, and burning embers. Full-bodied, layered, and enveloping, it's deep and intense, with beautifully rich, powdery tannins and vibrant flavors. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this rivals the 2016 as the finest Cheval Blanc of the decade, and in many respects it might be thought of as the latter vintage's sun-kissed cousin. Bravo to Pierre-Olivier Clouet and his team!”
99 Pointz Jeb Dunnuck
“Reminding me slightly of the 1990, the 2019 Château Cheval Blanc is a brilliant, brilliant wine from this estate that’s up there with the true greats. It shows the purity, finesse, and elegance of the vintage beautifully yet backs it up with density, concentration, and depth, revealing a stunning nose of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, new saddle leather, and spring flowers, with absolutely perfect ripeness. As complex and nuanced as only Cheval Blanc can be, even at this young age, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, abundant opulence, fat, and sweetness, polished tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It's almost in a class all its own. It deserves at least 5-7 years of bottle age and will shine for 30+ years. Hats off to Pierre-Olivier Clouet, who continues to keep this estate at the top of the pyramid in Saint-Emilion!”
97 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“The wine has power. It is dense but with such concentration along with a fine perfumed character from the Cabernet Franc in the blend. The wine's richness is impressive while leaving plenty of room for fruit. This fine wine will age well. Drink from 2026.”
97 Pointz Wine Spectator
“This has loads of dark currant, fig, and blackberry preserve notes that are supported by dense waves of loam and warm gravel, all hallmarks of the 2019 growing season. But there's an extra dimension here, thanks to its remarkably lush and fine-grained texture, with endless ripples of tobacco, bay, and singled sandalwood and balsam wood through the finish. In the end, it's the combination of power, refinement, and expressing an essentially unharnessable vintage that sets this red apart from the pack.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
99 Pointz Decanter
“A sexy, direct, and precise Cheval with a seriously expressive nose of dark chocolate, blackcurrants, and perfumed red cherries. The palate starts off slow and delicate and builds in the mouth, gaining in character and intensity. The acidity is more marked after a few sips, mouthwatering and juicy, giving the palate real life and verve as the generous fruit flavours come into play, a lovely strawberry and raspberry vein with some mint notes all the way through giving such freshness and cooling sensations in the mouth, while soft tannins balanced by acidity give length and direction. Real weight and depth but also delicacy – concentration and restraint – lift, but such coolness. A sensational wine with pure energy.”
2018 Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
This wine is a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon.
99 Pointz James Suckling
“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.”
98 Pointz Jeb Dunnuck
“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 Pointz Vinous
“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 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“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. Itwill 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 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
Cellar Selection
“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.”
97 Pointz Wine Spectator
“This has the vintage's profile, with a sleek and slightly austere frame holding a core of cassis, bitter cherry, and raspberry coulis notes tightly together while flashes of bay, dried anise, and savory add range and detail. Has a late tug of warm earth along with a very perfumy echo through the finish. A beauty.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
100 Pointz Decanter
“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.
18.5/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson,
Master of Wine
“Deepest cherry red. Pure cassis, with a more savoury mineral aspect and opening to become more scented. Very, very fresh. Dark and mineral on the palate. Extremely fine tannic texture. More savoury, with that dark finesse on the finish. Long, chalky finish, so dry and yet so elegant.”
2017 Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
This wine is a blend of 66% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
97 Pointz James Suckling
“This is a special Cheval Blanc with blackcurrants, blueberries, and hints of fresh herbs, tobacco, and cedar. Full-bodied, very powerful, and muscular with lots of tannins. The higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (15% instead of 5%) makes it structured. Give it time to come together.”
97 Pointz Vinous
“A wine of sublime elegance and finesse, the 2017 Chateau Cheval Blanc is endowed with tremendous energy, precision, and cut. Red/purplish fruit, mint, sage, blood orange, star anise, and exotic spice notes abound in a mid-weight, finely cut Cheval that dazzles with its energy. Technical Director Pierre-Olivier Clouet gave the 2017 26-27 days on skins. Because of severe frost damage, in 2017, the Grand Vin includes a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), from gravelly soils, which gives the wine very unusual flavor and structure profile. The 2017 Cheval Blanc has all the ingredients to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is class personified. Wow!”
96 Pointz Jeb Dunnuck
“While the blend is shifted more towards Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in 2017, the Chateau Cheval Blanc is nevertheless a beautiful wine in every sense and shows the hallmark elegance and complexity of this estate perfectly. Deep ruby/purple, with notes of ripe dark fruits, violets, rose petals, and spice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ripe yet integrated tannins, terrific mid-palate concentration, and a great, great finish. Based on 66% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, give this incredibly floral, seamless 2017 5-7 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades.”
96 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The blend this year is 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc, and 56% Merlot, possessing an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cheval Blanc needs a fair bit of coaxing to reveal notions of plum preserves, redcurrant jelly, kirsch, and red roses plus emerging nuances of aniseed, Sichuan pepper, pencil lead, and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers impressive intensity with layer upon layer of red and black flavors with sparks of minerals and floral notes plus a firm line of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support, finishing very long and very fragrant.”
96 Pointz Wine Spectator
Collectibles
“Singed tobacco leaf and savory aromas lead the way, giving this red a distinctive profile, while dark currant, fig, and blackberry paste flavors form the core. Shows a loamy backdrop and a hint of cast iron throughout, with the fruit and savory elements keeping pace. Ends with prominent tannic grip. For the cellar.”
95 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
“With an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage presents a structured character. It is a straight wine, in line with dark tannins and black-currant fruits lightened by the jammy Merlot berry flavors.:
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
96 Pointz Decanter
“A sense of forward motion here makes you smile - a reaction that's missing in many wines this year. The tannins push their way right through the palate, but cradle the cassis and bilberry fruit rather than smother it, helped by the fact that floral and smoky aromatics rise up. There's good persistency and you get that little kick and dance of minerality. The precision engineering is clear, but the overall feeling is simply of cohesion and enjoyment. 3.65ph. 100% new oak, but without a trace even now at this early stage. Approximately 60% of the wine this year came from the gravelly plots which were less affected by the frost, which accounts for a slightly higher level of Cabernet Sauvignon than usual. They used perhaps 1% of secondary budding in this blend (five weeks behind schedule at bud-break and then around 15 days by harvest) and kept picking from 15 September to 11 October - an extremely long schedule compared to most estates in 2017. With around 30% loss to frost, there will be 50,000 bottles of Cheval in 2017, compared to 116,000 in 2016. 21hl/ha yield this year, 75% destined for the grand vin.”
2016 Chateau Cheval Blanc Reviews
This wine is a blend of 59.5% Merlot, 37.2% Cabernet Franc and 3.3% Cabernet Sauvignon.
100 Pointz Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2016 Cheval Blanc is blended of 59.5% Merlot, 37.2% Cabernet Franc and 3.3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose is incredibly youthful yet not so shy as some other 2016s at this stage, giving wonderfully intense scents of red currants, black cherries, wild blueberries, and violets with nuances of star anise, cinnamon stick, rose hip tea, cigar box and wood smoke plus a touch of beef drippings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has jaw-dropping elegance and depth, offering up layer upon layer of fragrant red and black fruits plus an extraordinary array of mineral sparks, supported by a rock-solid grainy texture, finishing with epic persistence and an edifying perfume. This is a very different style from the rich, opulently hedonic 2015, yet this wonderfully fragrant, beautifully poised, and intellectually compelling 2016 is equally extraordinary.”
99 Pointz James Suckling
“Wet earth and sliced, fresh mushrooms. Menthol. Dark berries, such as blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied, dense and whole, but you don’t feel the tannins, even though it is so powerful and structured. Detailed and defined. Cashmere. Wonderful finish. Glorious young Cheval. Try after 2025, but so wonderful already.”
98 Pointz Vinous
“The 2016 Cheval Blanc is one of the most beguiling wines of the vintage. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2016 is at once wonderfully refined and yet also quite powerful. Dark cherry, espresso, spice, leather, tobacco, mint, and lavender give the 2016 tremendous aromatic presence. On the palate, the 2016 is rich, exotic, and persistent, with real staying power and captivating balance. Pierre Lurton, Pierre-Olivier Clouet, and the team at Cheval Blanc turned out a masterpiece in 2016. Don't miss it.”
97 Pointz Jeb Dunnuck
“The grand vin 2016 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as 60% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in new barrels, and this is the first year a replanted block of Cabernet Sauvignon has made the top cuvée. Compared to the 2001 by Pierre Lurton, it displays stunning aromatic fireworks with notions of blackcurrants, forest floor, iron bar, graphite, and spice all soaring from the glass. It develops more floral nuances with time in the glass and, as always with this cuvée, it’s all about complexity and elegance. More medium to full-bodied, with beautiful tannins and perfect balance, it’s a decidedly classic, focused, elegant wine from this estate that will keep for 3-4 decades.”
97 Pointz Wine Enthusiast
Cellar Selection
“Rich, smoky, and with powerful fruit, this structured wine also has an impressive perfumed character. Spice, blackberry fruits, and rich tannins give wonderful firmness that will allow the wine to age well. Drink this already beautiful wine from 2025.”
97 Pointz Wine Spectator
Collectibles
“This has turned into a very dense wine, with waves of cassis, plum reduction, and blackberry paste forming the core. Wrapped tightly in layers of tobacco and loam for now, while singed alder, incense, black tea, and bergamot notes peek in here and there. The finish rumbles like thunder for now, with the swath of tannins, and there’s just a twinge of drought-induced austerity. But there’s acidity and drive too, and this will cruise in the cellar for some time.”
Bonus Reviews
United Kingdom
98 Pointz Decanter
“This just keeps on going and going, the oak is perfectly integrated but holding everything in place. It has race, depth, complexity and feels true to the personality of the estate. It's deftly put together and feels grown-up, as Cheval Blanc so often does, with wonderful fresh mint notes and clear tannic structure. It's a bit like putting together a puzzle in your mouth, with a different piece fitting snugly into place every minute. It doesn't try too hard to impress, like so many others. This is the first year since the early 2000s to have some Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Drinking Window 2026-2046.”
18.5/20 Pointz Jancis Robinson,
Master of Wine
“The property is divided into 45 different plots and each plot has made some grand vin in the last five years. This is from 33 plots. 38% Cabernet Franc, 59% Merlot. The remaining 3% is Cabernet Sauvignon, from a parcel that has been replanted with Cabernet Franc successively. But they have decided to recover this gravelly plot by the road to St-Émilion with Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the first year it's in the grand vin as a reflection of the traditional assemblage of Cheval Blanc. Tasty floral start and then quite rich. A bit of grainy astringency (from those concrete vats?) in terms of texture - by no means unpleasant. Lots of floral notes, hint of putty, and then lovely richness underneath. Quite a contrast between nose and palate. Smudgy palate and precise nose. Tannins really present on the end. Very floral on the nose. Big gap! Not sweet!!