Located right over the border from Pomerol in St. Emilion sits one of the most storied Libourne estates, Chateau Cheval Blanc. Since its founding in 1832, Cheval Blanc has been consistently producing one of the finest wines in the world. With 39 hectares of vineyards the estate produces a wine that tends slightly towards their Cabernet Franc with most blends averaging 50-55%, the rest being Merlot with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Powerful, perfumed wines that are incredibly rich but never heavy. We are pleased to be able to offer some of our favorite vintages including a few all stars!
2000 CHEVAL BLANC
$848/bottle
99 points, Robert Parker
Coming out of a relatively dormant state, this 2000 is a spectacular Cheval Blanc. Of recent vintages, I think only the 2009 can give it a run for its money. A blend of 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Franc, the wine has a sweet nose of menthol, melted licorice, boysenberry, blueberry, and cassis. A broad wine with compelling purity, a layered texture, and sweet tannin, with hints of coffee and earth in the background, this is by far the best Cheval Blanc since 1990 and before 2009. It is a legend in the making and can actually be drunk now, as the tannins have nearly melted away. This is a beauty with incredibly complex aromatics. Drink it over the next 25-30 years.
2004 CHEVAL BLANC
$430/bottle
90 points, Robert Parker
Eighty thousand bottles of 2004 Cheval Blanc were produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. Subtle herb, menthol, cranberry, black currant, and licorice aromas emerge from this dark ruby/plum-colored wine. It is medium-bodied and elegant with plenty of sweet fruit, but not a lot of weight or intensity. The complexity and nobility of Cheval Blanc’s gravelly terroir is apparent in this delicate, subtle St.-Emilion. Give it a few years to develop additional aromatics, and drink it over the following 12-15.
1986 CHEVAL BLANC
$450/bottle
89 points, Robert Parker
Another wine that seems to have some youthful characteristics, a high level of tannin and a lack of succulence and substance may ultimately prove to produce a wine somewhat out of balance. The wine shows plum, fig, cherry, earthy, mineral notes and medium body, but the elevated tannins in the finish are distracting. Nevertheless, the wine has a youthfulness and vigor that make it far less evolved than its more seductive older siblings, the 1983 and 1985. Last tasted, 12/02.
1988 CHEVAL BLANC
$450/bottle
88 points, Robert Parker
A very healthy dark ruby color that shows only a slight lightening at the edge, this wine shows sweet earth notes intermixed with ripe berry fruit, cassis, licorice, and leather. The wine is spicy, medium-bodied, with a moderately tannic finish that is not likely to fully age out. Anticipated maturity: Now-2014. Last tasted, 12/02.
2000 LE PETIT CHEVAL
$198/bottle
87 points, Robert Parker
The fully mature 2000 Le Petit Cheval reveals some herbal notes interwoven with sweet red currants. Medium-bodied with lots of spice and menthol, the wine tails off in the mouth. It needs to be drunk up.
