External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 24 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Papies on 12/8/2023 & rated 96 points: 2023 Athens Wine Event; 12/8/2023-12/9/2023 (Athens, Greece): Tasted blind and perplexed our group and frankly most of us thought this was burgundy, lilt La Tache level and this is the testament to the beauty ( we would have never guessed 1973) of this wine. A magical wine for sure.
Well aged, but still full of life, mature fruit but less earthy and more still with a savoury richness in the fruit. Impressive for sure and we can go for a long time here. For us the wine of the night even though we rated others higher than this still it was a magical wine. 96-97 (866 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 4/1/2022 & rated 95 points: Top shoulder level. Brittle cork but help well and the wine was healthy.
The nose , oh the nose on this wine ( frankly served blind we would have said 80s La Mouline) , smoky, soft spice, leather. So expressive and at this age the highlight of the wine. The palate is soft, tertiary, but also beautiful, touch of a northern Rhône feel here too. What an experience to say the least. 95-100 (1621 views) | | | Tasted by LB88 on 12/31/2020 & rated 94 points: My WOTN it had a beautiful aromatic nose, u could smell the sweetness. The wine was jammy and candied with enough tannins left to leave a impression but just so elegant and refined at this point. An absolutely perfect bottle thanks to VO. Next to this the 85, 96 where also drinking well but just at different evolution points. (2066 views) | | | Tasted by Krugalex on 9/8/2020 & rated 93 points: This bottle was bought at auction a few months ago. 1973 is not an acclaimed vintage at all, but the wine level was excellent for a 47 years old bottle (at the exact point where the neck and the shoulder meet).
I opened it at around 1:30 PM and let it slow ox in the opened bottle until dinner time, around five hours later (6:30). The cork did crumble in a thousand pieces, but amazingly we were able to remove the last third of what was remaining of it by very carefully pulling it out with a regular corkscrew (I need a Durand!) and not a single piece of cork fell into the wine.
Slow ox really does wonders with old wines. Upon opening of the bottle, all I could smell was oak and cork and not much of the juice itself. Five hours later, the wine was singing and it kept evolving in my Zalto Bordeaux glass throughout the evening.
The color was appropriate for its age (pale brick and quite transparent on the rim).
On the first nose, what struck us were the spicy notes. Then the remnants of the fruit emerged as a layer of thick raspberry jam. As the night went by, the spices became more precise: vanilla and cinnamon (you know those little cinnamon hearts?). Overall, it smelled like a very "warm" wine. Not much freshness there, but that is totally normal.
Pure velvet on the palate, with 10% left of tannins that kept the wine well alive (with very few sediments in the bottle). Medium-long finish. This could easily pass as an early 80's vintage (not 82 though) since the condition of my bottle was excellent.
With a duck breast (raspberry sauce), buttered french shallots and garlic ratte potatoes, this wine met my expectations. (2120 views) | | | Tasted by Jammy Wine on 11/10/2019 & rated 78 points: A resolved array of mixed berries, earthy black truffles and damp tobacco. Fully mature with tamed tannins and gentle nose of maturing fruits. Not a bad effort in a weak vintage. (78/100) (2912 views) | | | Tasted by FransS on 5/19/2019 & rated 95 points: Dining and tasting at our friends Loek and Saskia: A fragile colour with a bit brown, but still lively; the bouquet is fantastic with subtle higher acidity, soft tones of red fruit, sound bitters, leather, some cedar and everything in balance, at the right place and with an aftertaste that continues. This super refined wine is at the age of nearly 46 years and comes from a modest vintage. For its qualities I give this wine (level upper shoulder) 94 points and one point extra for giving such a joy at high age. (2690 views) | | | Tasted by steinersing on 1/20/2018 & rated 91 points: this was the one Bordeaux bottle in an all Burg dinner, so had a difficult stance. Still some good energy, I got tea leaf notes and later leather and tobacco. (3153 views) | | | Tasted by Wine_lvr on 12/20/2015 & rated 92 points: Cheval Blanc Vertical Tasting (Old Swiss House, Lucerne, Switzerland): Mature garnet in color. Nose shows black licorice, red berries but also hints of sulfur. Overall it is an elegant (light) wine, nice sweetness and good structure and for a 1973 this was a superb wine. (5224 views) | | | Tasted by ETT95 on 10/17/2015 & rated 92 points: It's reddish-brown and transparent. Residual alcohol exists and gone in two hours. It's very smooth, light (like Burgundy) and sweet with leather, plum, dry leaves, tea. Medium finish with remarkable acidity and very mild red fruits. It delivered consistently and it was still living after 7 hours! Better at nose than on palate. No reason to store any longer. But it'd be an enjoyment to have a wine from such a difficult year and still living and delivering lovely. (4370 views) | | | Tasted by onboisduvin on 8/23/2015 & rated 98 points: Great!!! Can not image how time can change a bottle of Bordeaux wine into Burgundy style. The aroma was unbelievable although the palate was a bit light. Now I am worried when is the appropriate moment for my 2000 cheval blanc, another 40 years later maybe...... (4183 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 6/4/2015 & rated 95 points: Old Bordeaux Dinner (Hong Kong Country Club, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Low neck fill. Totally transparent but with a very harmonious and consistent light ruby colour.....it looks jeweled and fresh still. Nose is lovely - seductive, rich, dried herbs still hanging on the bush on a sun-baked dry earth hillside with a few drops of misty rain. I can't stop sniffing this. Palate is light but gorgeously poised, good acidity balanced perfectly by light red fruits of raspberry and redcurrant. Gosh, I'm having a silence attack. Lightly, femininely resonant and reverberant. Absolutely brilliant....wow....wow...clearly a perfect bottle. (5042 views) | | | Tasted by ove_stammrud on 5/30/2015: Elegant og kompleks nese med mange lag av subtile detaljer. Dufter av mørke og rødebær, jord, krydder (indisk butikk), cigar box, moden frukt, frorale toner. Elegant slank og smidig munnfølelse med godt nedslipte tanniner, hint av lakris og skråtobakk i utgang. Pen frukt. Sofistikert stil. (3717 views) | | | Tasted by Fatty Cat on 3/8/2014 & rated 92 points: Cheval Blanc tasting (30 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2014: rubin red color; creme de cassis and red currant; medium body; round texture; medium finish.
Vintages 2nd flight: 1973-1974-1976-1977-1978 (1081 views) | | | Tasted by Venexian on 12/16/2013 & rated 92 points: Colore molto scarico ma vivo, con sfumature aranciate. Naso di camino spento, tabacco, fruttini rossi. Tutto molto delicato ed elegante. Bocca velluttata, quasi sussurrata, ma bella viva grazie all'acidità guizzante. (3333 views) | | | Tasted by wprev on 6/1/2013 & rated 93 points: well kept; still young at heart; very soft tanine; pleasant, but solid and complex, perfect example of a typical St Emilion (3533 views) | | | Tasted by wprev on 6/1/2013 & rated 93 points: perfectly kept after 40 years, with all its flavor, power and pleasure (3731 views) | | | Tasted by kkazaks on 7/20/2012 & rated 93 points: Pure elegance here. Fine light red color.
Quite fragrant nose of tea, crushed strawberries, licorice, cedar. On the palate, tea and diluted strawberry extract. Perhaps a hint of pain grille, a touch (just a bit) of green pepper. So so fine, light and elegant. Seamless balance, fine persistent finish.
Most compelling impression here is the absolute purity of and fineness of the fruit and the seamless balance. Much more enjoyable to drink than the 95 Haut Brion tasted last night, which is showing well but just beginning to stretch its legs (wait a good 10 years on that one). (4285 views) | | | Tasted by Old Tasting Notes on 8/18/2010 & rated 95 points: Fairly light in color for a bordeaux, earthy nose with lots of tobacco. Took a while to open up, but once it did, became an amazing soft and beautiful wine, absolute elegance.
Miss you dad, but you're still taking good care of use. (5143 views) | | | Tasted by ERoss on 4/21/2008 & rated 85 points: $90 off the list at a venerable Italian restaurant in Hartford. Fill was high - about as good as could be expected for a 30+ year-old wine; label was somewhat moldy and peeling. The waiter/sommelier arrived with an array of tools which quickly proved necessary as the dry cork turned to dust at the first touch from the corkscrew; a handy filter cap and some careful decanting later, my companions and I were served the wine. Color was a shimmery pink-red, with extensive bricking commensurate with the wine's age. Surprisingly complex nose including hints of cassis, tart cherry, and dried fig, with some secondary notes of cedar, iodine and leather. On the palate, inoffensive, but light bodied as expected on vintage reputation; structure, such as it was, was fully evolved with no perceptible tannins. Finish was delicate and of moderate length. All in all, a pleasant wine and probably about as good as an example as exists today, but certainly not a benchmark wine/vintage from Cheval Blanc. (4321 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 7/29/1987 & rated 81 points: Light in color, reddish brown in bowl, light brown on the rim. Slightly musty bouquet--has lost some of its fruit. Still has character but is clearly not the same wine we tasted in April. (1068 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 4/7/1987 & rated 91 points: Very pleasant, fruity black cherry aroma. Opened up after 40 minutes. Extremely smooth finish. Taste full bodied yet light, good complexity. (1070 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 3/13/1987 & rated 88 points: an educational evening with EH and PdV (@ EH): Clear light carmine. The bouquet is really mature and a bit sweet. The tannin has softened completely and is a bit dry in the end. The taste is broad and refined and fairly complex with pleasant oak. At its peak now, or even some years ago! Can only go (further?) down. (3806 views) |
| 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 |
|
