Chateau Cheval Blanc 2020
Château Cheval Blanc sits in the appellation of Saint-Emillion, on the right bank of the Gironde estuary. The estate came into being in 1832, when Château Figeac sold off a parcel of land, which by the mid 1850s was being refered to as Cheval Blanc. In 1998 the estate was purchased by Bernard Arnault (LVMH) and Albert Frere. These days the estate is 39ha, with plantings of 49% cabernet franc, 47% merlot and 4% cabernet sauvignon.
Initially Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc were the only two Premier Grand Cru Classé A estates in the 1955 classification. In 2021 Cheval Blanc withdrew from the Classification, noting "a profound change in the philosophy of the classification", suggesting that marketing had become a stronger influence on the classification than terroir and wine quality.
You may recall the movie Sideways in which the protagonist Miles, played by Paul Giamatti, screams his famous line “I’m not drinking any fucking merlot” and rattles his jar of Xanax at his friend Jack. The movie harps on Miles’ love of pinot noir, yet when he finally decides to drink his most prized wine, one he’s saved for years to be drunk at the right occasion in the right company, he ends up drinking it out of a styrofoam cup, on his own, in a sad and lonely scene in a shabby local diner. The wine is a 1961 Cheval Blanc, the irony not lost on wine nerds who know this famous wine to be merlot dominant.
Interestingly the ‘61 Cheval Blanc was rated 93 points by Robert Parker in 1998 and 91 points by him again in 2003. The 2020 on the other hand received outstanding reviews all round.
The 2020 is a blend of 65% merlot, 30% cabernet franc, and 5% cabernet sauvignon and is 14.5% alcohol.
Provenance is the most important thing when buying a wine like this. The wine was purchased direct from the importer and has been stored in a temperature controlled cabinet since it's arrival in Sydney.
"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. The first year that will not be bottled with Premier Grand Cru Classé A on the label since the ranking began, following its withdrawal from the ranking. That makes an interesting footnote for collectors I would imagine, but makes zero difference to the brilliance of what is in the bottle."
100 points, Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, February 2023.
"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."
100 points, Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, March 2023.
| SKU | 1CHEVBLNC20 |
| Brand | Chateau Cheval |
| Shipping Weight | 1.5000kg |
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