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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 94.8 pts. and median of 96 pts. in 62 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by johnh1001 on 1/20/2024 & rated 96 points: Top shoulder. Cork soaked through. Did not decant. Somewhat subtle nose of dark fruit, chocolate, earth and violet. Rich and creamy on the palate. Much more going on here than the nose would suggest. Gorgeously smooth and well balanced. Long sweet finish. This was going strong after 2+ hours. (655 views) | | | Tasted by _water.into.wine_ on 7/27/2023 & rated 95 points: Quite remarkable to think that a 68 year old wine would not only have lasted this long but still retained its fruit and elegance. Clearly in its twilight years, this is most certainly still alive and kicking. It helps the bottle was well stored and a solid cork has clearly helped not accelerating its age. Lots of cigar box and tobacco are present with some nice leather. A wonderful experience. From PM in Valence. (917 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 7/17/2022 & rated 97 points: 16 Mature Bordeaux Magnums 1945/47/55/59 (+Unico): Three 1955s, all from magnum. Clear winner and red WOTN was the Cheval Blanc (97+ pts). Incredible complex, ever changing, a beautiful fruit core, sensual Cheval caramel and toasty components, all embedded in a flawless structure. Second place for Haut Brion (93 pts). Not the best bottle with the smoke/cured meat notes being too dominating. Still, the substance and tension of this wine are impressive. Lastly, 1955 isn‘t a particularly strong year for Margaux (91 pts) and although this bottle was better than my last, which was dead, this bottle had not enough complexity, precision, not elegance to fully convince.
TN: Dark, dense nose. With time the nose opens up and becomes very complex with ripe dark fruit, darker red berries,smoke, wet earth, some meaty hints. On the palate a clear step up. The wine displays lots of chocolate, dark fruit some red berries, caramel, hints of burnt sugar, some herbs. Even some blue fruit. Spicy and some meat hints, wet earth. Ever so slightly changing and evolving. Highly complex and very well defined. The tannins are silky, the acidity is medium and keeps the wine light. Super balance and so strong from start to the quite long finish. Quite complete and if the nose would have been even better this could have been a 98-10 pts wine.
Decanting: Double decanted 3+ hours before the tasting. (2608 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 7/2/2022 & rated 98 points: Richter Magnum Rarity Tasting (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): Tasted at a grand magnum rarities tasting hosted by a merchant and collector in Zurich. Most bottles were Bordeaux from the 40s and 50s. The top 3 wines 1. Cheval Blanc 1955 (98), 2. Ausone 1959 (97), 3. Haut-Brion 1955 (95). Full list of wines sorted by score and additional observations included in the tasting story.
Tasting notes
Coffee, black tea and refined red cherry fruit, ripe and sweet in style. A bit of sous-bois, a bit of leather as well as a spicey overlay. Adding spearmint, eucalyptus and black currant over time. Incredibly layered and detailed. Palate has a soft, statin texture with a firm structure, tangible yet soft tannin. The heights Cheval can achieve 65 years after bottling is just mind-blowing here. (1908 views) | | | Tasted by G_H on 7/2/2022 & rated 97 points: Annual Richter All-Magnum Extravaganza: Well hello and thank you. I had a negociant bottling of this a few years ago that just wasn't good. But this one -oh my god- pure St.Emilion magic!
Red and dark berries, dark chocolate, herbal notes and the structure of the wine was just absolutely perfect. Amazing! (1732 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 11/20/2021 flawed bottle: Wines Enjoyed at John Kapon's 50th Birthday Bash (The Pool - New York NY): Slightly corked? (2443 views) | | | Tasted by hprphf on 11/20/2021 flawed bottle: JK's 50th Birthday: Magnum, corked. (1801 views) | | | Tasted by joshabramson on 5/12/2021 & rated 96 points: Bottle was in perfect condition and came from a trusted private collector. Not much left in the tank aromatically, but on the palate this was still ripe, juicy and a bit of a beast. Drank side-by-side with a 75' Lafleur, which was the winner of the two, but the Cheval certainly held its own. (1416 views) | | | Tasted by tinybubbles on 8/21/2020 & rated 93 points: A little tired but overall a broad character with attractive soil, aged fruit, and cedar tones. (1818 views) | | | Tasted by LWI on 6/29/2020 & rated 95 points: Fourcaud-Laussac neg. Short brim, dark with some red; deep and complex nose, actually still some black currants, pencil shaves and mint; well balanced and youthful, medium body, very long, some tannin still. (1802 views) | | | Tasted by G_H on 6/1/2019 & rated 88 points: Cheval Blanc Vertical ‘Chez Elke’ (Hotel Hohenzollern, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler): Calvet bottling. Forest floor, orange soda, cherry, I was going back and forth if this was a clean bottle or not. The other tasters agreed it was clean, hence I rated it. For me it just fell short of the other wines we had (2480 views) | | | Tasted by hartmarco on 6/1/2019: Very unsure with this bottle. Very interesting nose with citrus notes ranging from blood orange over Fanta/Orangina, to candid orange. Something seemed a bit off but could not put my finger on it. (1947 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 9/8/2018 & rated 97 points: Another great showing for this stellar wine. The purity of fruit stands out here. There is still freshness, silky textures and layers of sweet, ripe cherries that are complicated by the wet earth, floral and tobacco nuances. If you find a well-stored example, this is worth taking a chance on. (3023 views) | | | Tasted by fcxj on 4/22/2018 & rated 94 points: Lots of fruit, really pure palate. (2578 views) | | | Tasted by tinybubbles on 4/7/2018 & rated 93 points: From magnum. Supple leather notes and light tar. Classic, but more two dimensional than I had hoped. This bottle had peaked. (2416 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 4/7/2018: This sure did not look or taste like a wine that was 63 years old. Color was bright ruby red - little to no bricking. The palate had bright fruited dark red berries and plums, with a good balance of acidity and some earthiness. Not a lot of leather or forest floor notes. (1831 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 4/7/2018: Acker Auction - April 2018 (Marea in NYC): 57% Cab Franc, 40% Merlot, and 3% PV. Bright and fresh and definitely vegetal but I don't mind that. Classic bell pepper flavors. (2236 views) | | | Tasted by ricknat1 on 12/25/2017 & rated 93 points: took 30 minutes to open up and show itself. very nice but not the best bottle i have had, but i would be happy to have it any time (1712 views) | | | Tasted by ONEFIVE on 9/27/2017: First 1955 I've had.
Drinks like an 82.
I can't believed how youthful this remains.
Popped and poured of course, showing slight bricking but otherwise incredibly vibrant.
On the nose there's intense dark cherry and a bit of earth. But, this is just pure.
Unbelievable. (1718 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 8/15/2017 & rated 95 points: Bottled by Vandermeulen, this showed really well. Plush, soft, and plummy, medium/full bodied, with earthy, but clearly ripe fruit, the wine improved in the glass for about 30 minutes. Much better than the 55 Cheval Blanc I tasted from magnum a few weeks ago. I would not be surprised to discover that this was bottled with a bit of Port in it. (2883 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 8/3/2017 & rated 90 points: At this age, it is all about the bottle, cork, provenance and luck. From a magnum, the nose was there, the textures were soft and the patina of age was showing nicely. But the wine faded on the palate far too quickly. I've had better bottles, but this was still a treat. (3113 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 3/17/2017 & rated 96 points: Much better than previous bottles, this is sensuous, supple and rich, with aromatic complexities, silky tannins and density in the velvet textured finish. (3364 views) | | | Tasted by vinorla on 5/27/2016 & rated 100 points: Come from a bottle recorked at chateau cheval blanc . A monster of power . Incredible (3483 views) | | | Tasted by Tenuta Stefan on 5/6/2016 & rated 96 points: Bottle in very good shape. A/B - B fill (low neck).
Note: Danish bottling, Knud Jørgensen, Hellerup (Calvet)
Very dark and dense colour. The edge is brick colour, but the center is almost black ... like coffee.
When swirling the glas the wine leave a trace that looks like an old sweet wine from Jerez made of Pedro Ximenez.
This wine is tasted over 34 h! From popped & poured until the last sip. The wine was decanted and directly poured back into the bottle.
At first the wine seems to be oxidiced according to the first sniff when popped. But it comes to life with air and after 1 hour it offers a bouquet that is very similar to a Vintage Port. Then comes leather, coffee, figs, caramel and some black liqourice. After 8 h I find roasted hazelnuts, chocolate, underbrush and prunes. But there is an oxidiced note all the way though ... but in a good way I must say.
The wine is very smooth on the palate. A salty touch, but with a lively sweetness that I didn't expect. Multilayered and complex. Long finish that leave a trace of mineral combined with dried figs and prunes.
To me the wine performs at its best after 10 h. My good friend says it is at its best after 20 h.
According to my test of this wine over 34 hours I must say this is a Grand Vin, and this wine will live for many years if stored in the best way. I had a glas with 8 cl til the day after. It was left on the table with foil on top ... and it was at least as good as the day before
95 - 97 points. (3019 views) | | | Tasted by quinihno on 2/11/2016: Celebration drinking...cork broke on extraction - no real surprise. This started off really nicely and seemed to be fine and drinkable - albeit not as amazing as hoped for.
However, this went downhill soon after and appears to have been flawed - maybe not corked, but certainly not right. Such a shame, but my own risk...was low shoulder fill, hence why it only cost me $200. At least I can say I drank a Cheval Blanc at this stage. (2919 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, Cellar Journal: Bordeaux 1920-2015 (Dec 2019) (12/1/2019)
(Cheval Blanc Cheval Blanc Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Charles Curtis MW
Decanter, Mature Bordeaux (6/1/2013)
(Château Cheval Blanc, St-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | The World of Fine Wine, June 2008, Issue #20
(Chateau Cheval Blanc) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Bipin Cheval Weekend (12/7/2007)
(Cheval Blanc) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, From the Golden Cellar (10/12/2007)
(Cheval Blanc Vandermeulen bottling) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, 1955 Bordeaux at Le Bernadin (3/14/2005)
(Cheval Blanc) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Decanter and The World of Fine Wine and Vintage Tastings. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Cheval Blanc Producer website - Read more about Chateau Cheval Blanc
Their second wine is Le Petit Cheval.
The vineyard on weinlagen-infoRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
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