Cheval Blanc
If I was allowed to only drink wine from one producer for the rest of my life Cheval Blanc would be one of the three I would chose from (the other two being Haut Brion and Dom Perignon). It is a wine that gives so much joy and pleasure even when quite young but also has the ability to age over several decades.
I once compared the wine to Sophia Loren in the 1950s and ‘60s. Round and sexy with no hard edges. You just have to love it. If I would have to convert a non-wine drinker to the glory of wine I would serve Cheval Blanc.
Looking through close to 300 tasting notes I had written the words “sweet fruit” almost every time but is also a wine with complexity and style in most vintages.
Notes:
1920 - oxidised nose. Sweetness - not too madeirised. Négociant bottling.
1921 – out of a jeroboam. Lovely very sweet nose - perfumed. Cherries. And once out of a Dame Jeanne. concentrated fruity nose, very good concentrated fruit. Long. Both at Rodenstock tastings.
1926 - very sweet. Touch acidic. Some age. Still very nice.
1928 – van-der-Meulen bottling. Deep colour, sweet concentrated fruit, touch malty, bit oxidised, sweet finish. Another bottle - mature col, sweet fruit, some old age acidity, still quite good. I think this is now quite risky.
1929 – very good colour. Very good concentrated fruit. Long. A lovely bottle.
Also a suspicious Jeroboam at a Rodenstock tasting. Sweet, toffee, port, cherries. Bit one-dimensional.
1934 - lovely elegant nose of dried roses. Very sweet, elegant. Tannic finish. Always a wonderful wine.
1943 – Magnum. Sweet charming fruit. Not very complex.
1945 – varied bottles. Some good ones but with some dry tannins and some with unpleasant volatile acidity.
1947 – This is wine that could not be produced today. A wine that is technically faulty with residual sugar and volatile acidity. And still without a doubt one of the true wine legends. Instantly recognisable with its explosive nose of coffee and port. Great sweetness and power without being simple or clumsy. All 30+ bottles I have been fortunate to drink, except a few fakes, have been spectacular and memorable. A lot of this wine was bottled by wine merchants and particularly the van-der-Meulen bottling is as good as the château bottling. Also good were Justerini & Brooks as well as Hedges & Butler bottlings. This has remained fresh longer than the Pétrus and is, for me, the greatest ’47 of all (except maybe for the ultra-rare Lafleur).
1948 – also very, very good. Similar to the ’47 in style but without its exceptional concentration.
1949 – varied notes. At its best a wonderful wine. More elegant than the ’47.
1950 - great concentration and structure. Long. Fresh. I don’t think there is a better series of wines over four consecutive years as Cheval Blanc from 1947 to 1950.
1952 - lovely sweet nose. Gorgeous sweet fruit - complex. Black cherries. Long, touch tannic finish.
1953 - Sweet and charming. Lovely and stylish. My last note just read: “F-ing brilliant!!!”
1955 - deep colour, good nose-exotic - almost californian. Sweet fruit. Very good.
1958 - quite good nose. Good fruit. Surprisingly good. Cold tea. Soft fruit.
1959 – very good nose. Smoky, spicy delicate fruit. Lovely. The most memorable occasion was opening a half bottle only two thirds full that I had picked up in a mixed lot. Not having any expectations I was stunned how good it still was. Some good bottlings from Grafé-Lecocq and from Dolamore.
1960 - quite powerful. Touch madeira, plummy. Not very complex.
1961 - wonderful nose - eucalyptus. Great concentration of soft fruit - very sweet. Some tannins. Seductive but a bit too obvious to be truly great.
1962 - at best: good nose-sweet roses, lovely sweet wine. This is now living dangerously.
1964 - seductive. Lovely complex fruit. Great balance. A very sexy wine. One of the best wines in this underrated vintage.
1966 - great style, soft tannins, very long finish. Some bottles have shown some Médoc character.
1967 - delicate, some herbal elements. Good for the vintage.
1970 - varied notes. At best: lovely sweet, touch smoky nose. Charming. Very good but a bit simple.
1971 - good fruit – tea leaves. Stylish and elegant. Quite good.
1973 - sweet, bit tarty. Drink up.
1974 - goodish. Bit green.
1975 - almost Médoc-lead pencil nose. Good structure. Sweet fruit, softer tannins than most ‘75s.
1976 - maturing. Goodish. Drink up.
1977 - not quite as bad as expected. Green with short finish.
1978 - sweet fruit, charming. Drink up.
1979 - quite good, bit lightweight, slightly bitter finish. Drink up.
1980 - Not too bad for the vintage.
1981 - good but needs drinking.
1982 - I have many almost identical notes. Maturing colour, lovely explosive nose, very soft mature sweet fruit. Very good and seductive but, for me, lacking the backbone and structure to be as great as its reputation.
1983 - very good soft, decadent fruit. Fresher than the ’82.
1984 - herbal. Not very good.
1985 - sweet, charming, lovely. Ready now.
1986 - many bottles have shown a goodish spicy nose, quite lean fruit, tannic dry finish. Some with sweet fruit and some charm.
1988 - spicy nose - leather, very good sweet fruit, soft tannins. Long. Slightly more backward than the ‘89 and ‘90 but now hitting its stride. Underrated.
1989 - almost overripe fruit on the nose. Roasted soft fruit. Very nice now.
1990 - the greatest Cheval Blanc since 1947. Many identical notes. A wonderful nose of melted butter, sexy and delicious, lovely sweet fruit. Lomg. I bought a case of 24 ½ bottles en-primeur and usually wait 10 years before I start drinking a good Bordeaux. Being curious I opened one on arrival in 1992 and it was so seductive that I kept opening bottles whenever I felt that I deserved a reward. I must have been very good since I finished the case more than ten years ago.
1994 - good sweet fruit, goodish concentration, bit simple.
1995 – not many notes – merely goodish with a touch dry green finish.
1996 - as above but with better fruit.
1998 – a classic very good wine with structure and sweet fruit. Great future.
2000 - big, bombastic. Soft, concentrated fruit. Can drink now though quite tannic.
2001 - soft and charming. Long, attractive. Good now.
2003 - soft, sweet, fat. Not very complex.
2005 - spicy, complex, long. Some tannins. Good now but will improve with age.
2008 – very good.
2010 – deep colour, good fruit, big wine needing time.