December 28, 2023 - Decanted for 3 hours. As expected, the wine is still a little young, but you can already open a bottle now. I was curious to see how this generally poorer vintage would show itself. I have to admit that I didn't pay that much attention to the 2011 vintage. However, this Cheval Blanc was a really good bottle of wine for a so-called "bad" vintage and deserves the good ratings. 94 pts. at the moment.
December 13, 2023 - Famous bottle from a famous producer. Not a good vintage... But shouldn't all world class producers be making very very fine wine even in off years? Hmmm...
Really dominated by sweet oak notes, even after a decade in bottle, somewhat surprised by this, I thought that even in an off vintage the quality of the fruit and bottle aging would tame the oak. Notes of truffle, bell pepper, earth, plum, prune, raisin, fig. Really refreshing, long, persistant tannins. Obviously, a complex wine, but feels like an disjointed assemblage of the disparate parts, cab franc, merlot, oak, and not a coherant, seamless sum of the parts.
November 3, 2023 - The second ever Cheval Blanc shared by SKT for my hungry palate, in this year alone.. thanks brother, and happy belated birthday!
Blend: Cab Franc 57%, Merlot 39%, Malbec 3%, Cab 1%
Preparation: Bottle breathed, 2 hours.
Appearance: Dark garnet.
Nose: New oak forward, with rounded vanilla.
Palate: Cab Sauv dominant, but the fruit did not all show. Seems to be slightly tight.
Mid-palate: I loved the mineral levels, which were really high and complex.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied.
Tannins: Some firmness but yet very fine, with sweetness developing.
Acidity: Medium and savoury.
Finish: Medium-long, with hints of soy. Is that some green developing too?
All of us were in awe when SKT unveiled that he had brought yet another Cheval Blanc to share with us all. Whilst SKT was somewhat dissapointed that this did not show its best, his logic and selection was clear.. 2011 was the vintage of Cab Franc, and he wanted to spoil us all!
This could be my lowest scored Cheval Blanc ever, and I am not quite sure if it is in a sleepy period now (Wait another 5 years?) or perhaps it just required more severe decanting time.
Looking back at my tasting notes, I have so far had the privilege of tasting Cheval Blancs from the 1982, 1989, as well as 2001 vintages. I guess even Miles from Sideways would have been proud.
Tang Room, Damansara, Malaysia
3 Nov 2023
October 17, 2023 - At the Cheval Blanc estate. This is simply a beautiful bottle of wine that is absolutely singing right now. With just an hour or so of decanted air, this 2011 behaves much like the 2009 and 2010, but with a hair more savory and meaty notes to it. I was actually quite shocked by the level of depth that this wine is able to achieve given the vintage. Steeped black cherry, dark currant, tilled soil, cloves, leather, and subtle hints of roast beef?, this gives “superior” vintages a run for their money. Finishes with a clean and undulating viscosity that rolls along the back end of the palate for 60 seconds. Even slightly chewy, which adds further textural dimension, this Cheval encompasses the mouth without weighing down the otherwise fresh but haunting delivery.
The 2012 isn’t even in the same conversation here (another vintage that continues to disappoint generally for me - and ya I know some defend that vintage for its…well, I don’t know what for…). Normally I wouldn’t consider adding 2011 to the 2009/2010 vintage duo of greatness out of the Right Bank, but in Cheval Blanc’s case, my biases got served some humble pie. In fact, blind I would’ve called this out as circling around the 9/10/15 vintages. Put simply, the 2011 is a rockin wine that drinks amazingly well now and should age exquisitely over the next decade.
July 21, 2023 - This vintage was served during a lunch at the winery last year and I really enjoyed it so I decided to open one of my bottles to see if it is slowly evolving.
Again it was singing! Beautiful balanced fruit notes. Nice mixture of medium ripe to ripe red and dark berries. Some beautiful earthy notes and some sweet tobacco in the background. Not too fat, rather elegant. Tannins are velvety and blend in nicely with the fruit and the fresh acidity. Great overall depth and complexity. The overall balance is incredibly good. Super long and seductive finish. A classic and sexy Cheval Blanc.
It’s already getting into a nice drinking window and just needs a short decanting in my opinion. Drink from now until 2035. (IG)
May 25, 2023 - A week in Bordeaux (Mouton, Pontet Canet, D'Issan, Langoa & Leoville Barton, SHL, Arbo, Pavie, Fleur de Bouard, Cheval Blanc, VCC, Figeac); 5/21/2023-5/26/2023 (Left and Right banks of Bordeaux): Tasted @ the Chateau. Best wine I've tasted during my BDX trip so far this week.. Also, agree with Dream's note below. This wine was opened upon our arrival and decanted for about an hour in the glass while we toured the estate. I took my time and swirled a lot with my small pour before finishing it. Drinking great now and picking some up b/c I think it will still improve from here with more air and/or age. Wow!
Brad - heavypourwine.com
May 10, 2023 - Utterly spellbinding aroma; with the unique earthiness of Cheval Blanc coming thru! I hour decant, but I think 2+ hours is more ideal. Just approaching it’s drinkability window. More on the Red Fruits, but still some warmth and darker fruits there. Elegant, but not a thin wine. Glad i bought 6 bottles, and this is the first one to try. I’ve been amazed how Cheval Blanc can deliver in less than ideal vintages. The 2007 was also ethereal when younger.
April 16, 2023 - I'm always disappointed when a Chateau in Bordeaux pulls out their 2011 to taste because the vintage mostly sucks but this vintage of Cheval was a revelation. Medium-bodied and showing plenty of secondary flavors, this just totally delivered on the fabulous flavors of the Cheval terroir with notes of sweet black fruits, truffles and the irreplaceable Cheval dirt. Wow, what a shock and I need to buy some of this for current drinking.
August 28, 2022 - Pronounced nose intensity with notes of flora, mushroom, red fruits, red cherry, spices. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is round and polished. This is amazing for a weak vintage.
July 9, 2022 - Medium-bodied, classic in style, forward, earthy and fresh, the dusty tannins behind all the ripe red fruits deliver brightness along with wet earth, mint leaf, thyme, tobacco, spice, and dried flowers. Drink from 2022-2035.