Indeed, it was an absolutely epic night at the Vienna Wine Bar in nearby Davie. I thought the 1947 Cheval Blanc was exactly the way I've heard it described over the years -- it did indeed have a subtle port like profile, but not at all unbalanced, to the contrary, holding up beautifully on the nose and palate after all these years. This was beautifully balanced, pure class, not in any way unbalanced by alcohol. The color was still a healthy purple, aged but so noble. There was no doubt in our mind that this was the real deal, Stuart was harsh in his assessment, saying it didn't match up with a previous bottle, but I'm hard pressed to see how this wine could be any better at age 76. The cork was authentically seeped through, the bottle seemed to have great provenance, the markings on the cork matched the lettering on the soiled label, with reference to a Christie's auction sale in May of 1979. I kept the bottle and cork with pictures, I'm going to ask Maureen to take a look at it next time I see her, there is certainly no doubt in our minds. It was an absolute thrill to be a part of such history and, of course, to be the recipient of such legendary generosity from Stu and Kathy Roberts. Peter and I were giddy over at our end of the table. Wow. Absolutely epic. 100 points.
We started with the perfectly delightful 168th edition of Krug, a wine I have in my room that we'll be sipping again later this afternoon, this wine in the past has been my Krug epiphany and it was a wonderful start to the evening.
Besides the Cheval Blanc, the 1990 Beausejour Duffau was a wine of the night, again, breathtaking on both the bouquet and palate, hedonistic but pure merlot class, aging beautifully. This is the second time I've had this wine and this time I get what all the fuss is about. 100 points.
Tommy's 1988 Lafleur was another stunning 99-pointer, my first Lafleur ever(?). 99+ points. At some point I stopped taking notes as one 1982 and 1990 after another appeared at the table, including 1982 Vieux Chateau Certan, 1982 Magdelaine, 1990 Clinet, 1982 Canon, 1979 and 1982 Trotanoy, and on and on.... Both the 1982 and 1990 L'Evangile were absolutely brilliant, still youthful and everything we look for from 1980s-era right bank. Tragically, my 1988 Haut Brion was corked.... Peter and I were convincing ourselves that it was just cold and needed to open up but the other side of the table detected taint and, sure enough, when I revisited it towards the end of the night, it was dead as a doorknob. Peter's 1959 Guirard was a fresh, balanced caramel beauty to end the night. Oh what a night!
Unanimous agreement that this bottle sourced from K&L 2021 was unquestionably legitimate. The fill was astounding, very top shoulder. Firm moist cork that came out in one piece. Excellent to amazing color, ruby with brown at the very edge. Giving very little on the nose though whether just opened or a few hours later. The palate however was exceptionally sweet in a white sugar way but not a caricature or vulgar. Actually it’s a very pleasant even delightful drink. No hint of volatility or excess alcohol. Only those who had tasted it before criticized it for this bottles relative simplicity and lack of perfume.
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Cheval Blanc 1947 and company (Tøyen, Oslo): A lot of anticipation going into this tasting, praying for a correct bottle. Bottled by the Norwegian Wine Monopoly, imported by barrel from the Cruse family. Perfectly stored since the 50ies.
Cork out in one piece, immediately wonderful scents of sous bois, dried mushrooms and a strangely positive glue aroma. This is actually still youthful, could easily be stored several decades. No doubt this is going to last all night in the glass.
What a nose. My god, complexity in the highest order. It´s not as deep as other wines, but features an endless myriad of very precise scents. I could sit all night poking my brain, always finding another element. The fruit is red and elegant, peaches, raspberries, candied strawberries, cherries, blood orange, as well as rose stalks, gentle pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Also quite high acidity, some VA and balsamic notes, but only in the sense of adding complexity and lift, keeping it light on its toes. This is just a fraction of the components, but I was busy enjoying the wine. This is not a technical exercise after all, a wine of this magnitude just wants to be cherished. A ballerina nose, superbly elegant.
The palate needed some air to flesh out, after an hour in the glass it was perfect. Blackberries, pine needles and an array of tertiary aromas. The fruit grew sweeter with air, strawberries and cherries balancing out the tertiary features. Scary elegant. Resolved tannins, breadth to die for. Still, even developing in the glass, for hours, it has structure somehow beyond tannins, a perfect chassis. It covers the entirety of the mouth, super expansive but never heavy. The finish is the longest I have experienced. Close to endless, carried by strawberries, cedar and sous bois.
Nose 100, palate 98-99, finish 100 = 99++
Not an earth shattering wine in scale, (size isnt everything, ey?)but a perfect bottle of wine, not a hair out of place. Was nothing like the tasting notes from professionals, though this was not chateau bottled, seems like the barrels the chateau sold off in bulk was not as extreme as some of the barrels they bottled themselves. Obviously extreme bottle variations here, feeling lucky to experience a superb bottle of this legend.
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Pen, hel og nesten gjennomtrukket kork, åpnet med Durand men hadde ikke trengt det. Åpner med et snev av innestengt kjeller og fuktig bok - ikke så rart etter 75 år - men det blåser raskt av. Duften er intenst dyp og forandrer seg hele veien, starter med et søtlig mørkt bærpreg, skogbunn og lakristoner, etterhvert kommer et lite mynte-/eukalyptuspreg og svake toner av cedertre, og etter to timer jordbær. Utrolig raffinert og ren lukt. Smaken er - utrolig nok - ungdommelig og frisk og jeg kunne tippet en god 80-tallsårgang blindt. Det er en enorm intensitet her, stor munnfølelse uten at det blir for mye; vi hadde Troplong Mondot 09 etterpå og den bød på for mye av det gode. Smakspofilen er full av varm, mørk og moden frukt, stor sødmefull bærfølelse mot modne jordbær og bjørnebær og et streif av mint mot slutten av smakskurven. Tanninstrukturen er avslepet og finkornet og bidrar til fast struktur, syren balanserer frukten perfekt. Ettersmaken må være noe av det lengste jeg har opplevd med jordbær, orientalske krydder og spicy tretoner i avslutningen. For en vin og for en opplevelse! Vi bikker lett 98 poeng her.
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A Negociant Version 1947 Cheval Blanc bottled by Calvet. At that time Cheval Blanc was not even in "Grand Cru Classé" growth. I could not imagine a 74-year-old wine was able to present such youthful aspects. When uncorked, the aromas were enclosed and tannins were astringent. I didn't hesitate to use a decanter, and even though, the bottle was not opened until 2 hours later. The first glass revealed aromas like sous-bois, balsamic, tobacco and some elegant aquilaria nose. There was NO vegetal nose at all, which means high maturity was embodied in the wine. The acidity was high and the body could be classed as "medium to full".Tannins were still very astringent. The second glass : the balsamic nose vanished and more aquilaria and tobacco nose arose, accompanying truffle, graphite and cedar nose, corresponding its cabernet franc base.The acidity went smoothier but tannins were still firm and a little bit dry. The body went fuller, and the aftertaste was very long. The third glass:at its prime! except the aromas mentioned above, some primary and secondary aromas arose magically! Could you imagine you can find violet，figs, dried rose and blueberry nose from a wine more than 70-year-old? The touch and the tannins went ethereal and even a little bit sweetness could be observed from the wine! This is the ultimate "balanced" wine I have been dreaming about for long time. I'm not sure if I can taste '47 Cheval Blanc once more, but I'm clear that I'm so lucky that I can have it in my 30s.
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I finally popped this bottle to share with my good friend as I lost a bet to him last year. Cork came out pristine, bottle condition was perfect! After 68 years old, I have least expectations. But it turned out to be my WINE OF THE YEAR 2015. Totally mind blowing, fragrance occupied the table. The body was so alive, fresh and elegant. It tasted like a Cheval 70, still way too young! Drank it over 3 hours, no sign of fading. The Armand Rousseau Clos de Beze 99 next to it pales.”
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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Gorgeous bottle; initially a very woody smell that dissipated and made room to beautiful beautiful aromas of camomille and vanilla. A pleasure on the palate, definitely a rockstar - what a pleasure
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Base neck fill. Bottle was purchased off a bordeaux negociant from his home cellar 18 years ago. The wine was port like with raisins, tobacco, earth and plum fruit with lifted and sharp acidity. Very rich, deep, powerful and long especially for its age. Crazily youthful wine which kept improving in the glass. To be completely frank, it was not the type of aged bordeaux I love the most because of that port-like character. I wish I had more in the glass to follow for another 1-2 hours as the complexity of this wine was indeed exceptional. I will certainly try this again from another source to see the difference. The sensation I had was quite similar to other TNs I saw here. One thing for certain is how incredibly rich and powerful the wine was for its age. 45 Mouton is the next bottle on my bucket list. No score for this wine tonight.
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47CB and Friends (3030 Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): From a bottle I purchased almost 30 years ago, allegedly from a cold British cellar, very top shoulder level. Expectations for a legend like this are practically impossible to meet, especially with the anticipation building up the last few months I have been planning this Cheval Blanc wine dinner. The cork rose from the bottle easily in one piece due to the magic Durand. The color is shocking, still red, barely orange at the meniscus. Oh, no, could this be a Rudy or Hardy fake? No, by the time we finished the bottle, everyone agreed it was real. Gorgeous bouquet of plum, rose and red licorice. On the palate, the flavors echo the scents with an intriguing hint of mint and prune. It’s still quite sweet, if slightly less so than 20 years ago, and less flamboyant as well, but just as intriguing. To top off this amazing experience is the silky texture and ineffable complexity. Held up fine for a couple of hours until we could resist no more and drained the rest of the bottle. Breathtaking and perfect, a memory of a lifetime.
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Tasted blind, I believe this bottle had a mid to low shoulder fill. It had a medium red center with light tan/yellow/clear rims. The high- intensity nose of sauteed cherries, brown sugar, fruitcake, and soil was somewhat spoiled by an oxidative note.
This wine was a bit rough at first but mellowed nicely in the mouth. It had a creamy texture, light tannin, firm acidity and excellent length. It tasted like a hot year wine with extreme ripeness and a bit of excess alcohol.
I don't think this bottle was treated particularly well but it wasn't clearly flawed either. This bottle certainly argued for drinking this wine as soon as possible. However, my guess is that bottles in pristine condition might last for decades.
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Tasted blind, I was told afterward that this bottle had a high to mid-shoulder fill. The wine had a deep red/purple center and some orange at the rim. The medium+ intensity nose of black cherries, cola, ginger, mint, and soil. It had a 100 point nose!
In the mouth, the distinctive trait of this wine was its silky texture. It was amazing! It came across as refined as it danced over my tongue, yet it was also rich and had some acidity. This particular bottle also showed a touch of oxidation. It showed good, but not great, length. It was so refined you really needed to focus on it and any other flavors (like food or the '45 Mouton!) would easily deminish its impact.
I doubt this wine will be getting any better but it is pretty great now! Drink up.
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While this bottle was clearly authentic, I was a bit nervous about the low shoulder fill. This bottle had an immense amount of sediment and the cork was so dark it was almost impossible to read. At first, the high intensity nose showed oxidation and raisins like a Vin Santo. However, after extended air it exhibited cherries, fruitcake, high-toned vanilla, brown spices, and Provencal herb. By "high-toned" I mean that there was clearly excessive alcohol.
In the mouth, the texture of this wine was stunning. The tannins were light and rounded and the fruit was abundant. However, the alcohol was so high it stuck out a little bit.
This was a wild wine to taste and it certainly stretched one's taste buds. This wine's unctuous texture argued for a higher score but the wine's odd elements held it back. Did the bottle's low fill have an impact? Very enjoyable but drink up based on this bottle.
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Most at the table thought this was a representative bottle although some said they've had slightly better from ex-chateau bottlings. I thought this was about what it should be given my two previous tastings. The nose is very much like vintage port with strong notes of coffee, sweet black raspberries and floral liquere. The palate is much the same and I'm not sure one could distinguish this blind from a top-flight, aged vintage port. There is an incredible violet essence here along with flavors of black currants and dark chocolate. It is rich and sumptuous but still with some underlying acidity and the finish is deeply concentrated and complex with further notes of coffee and oriental spices. Interesting, unique and I can see it's greatness but not really what I'm looking for when I drink aged Bordeaux. My firm belief now having tasted the wine 3 times is that it was probably a much better wine 20 years ago than it is today so I would only look for this now in large format. 95-
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A 50-ml pour from an untouched, quite age-appropriate-looking bottle at 67 Pall Mall in London. They tried to Coravin it, but the cork sank in immediately. Totally transparent light brick color. Elegant but a touch reticent at the start, it opens with swirling and springs to life after 5-10 min. Mature, totally clean and harmonious aromas of soy sauce, earth, charcoal, petits fours, cinnamon, and baked red fruits/cherry pie. It's actually something like a Chateau Musar profile, but without any VA and much more regal--not remotely the heady, Port-like character I was expecting. The nose gives me the same sense of snuggling up to a fire in the winter I got from my epiphany 1983 vintage of this wine. The wine also displays an outstanding mouthfeel. It's got the old-wine viscosity and somehow you can still really feel the tannin, yet it's simultaneously impossibly lightweight, with the same perceived density as my adjacent glass of water.
Unfortunately, the fireworks I was hoping for aren't there on the palate. For a wine that was famously left with residual sugar I don't taste any sweetness at all. There's a quick hit of flavor, but past the attack I'm left mainly tasting acid and alcohol. Who knows if this was real--it certainly tastes its purported age, but its character doesn't fit at all with other tasting notes on this wine. Then again, after 70 years, every bottle is different. The score is about as high as I can go for a wine on smell and texture alone.
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Raisin and wood notes on the nose with faint menthol on the backnose. Sweet dark cherry before one even tastes it. A deep and concentrated palate with bitter cherry, blackberry. Black raspberry syrup. Dark earth and coal dust after the midpalate. Notes of tea and dark chocolate on the finish. While not necessarily my preferred style of wine, an exceptional effort in all respects. Served with roasted squab.
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Cheval Blanc Vertical Tasting (Old Swiss House, Lucerne, Switzerland): Château bottling with MS fill. Brick color. Nose showed lovage, coffee and some dusty notes. Still nice sweetness but overall surprisingly short and light. After 10 minutes the wine fell completely apart. Not the legend I was hoping for and not a representative bottle.
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One of the best wines I've ever had, dark rubin with orange reflexes, a lot of primary fruits as plums, cherries, very fresh, after 15 minutes more fruit compote, a hint of Tahiti vanilla, spices as cloves and fresh grounded black pepper, not intrusive , Tannins extremely smooth and silky, high density and still good acidity, never ending finish, I can't believe minimal oxidative signs, still 10-20 years ahead99+
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Cheval Blanc tasting (30 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2014: rubin red color; very intense and complex bouquet, especially prominent and showy: truffles, garlic and oranges; reminded of a top port wine; contained a high-class sweetness; medium body; juicy, oily texture.
Here we go: one of the wine world's icons ... and the bottle delivered: truly one of my best wines ever and certainly THE wine of the tasting.
Vintages 3rd flight: 1947-1950-1952-1953-1961
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A Weekend Of Aged First-Growths At Beau-Rivage in Geneva (Beau-Rivage Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland): The reason I went to Switzerland was to taste a perfect bottle of this wine and others assured me it was. Excellent deep color with an extraordinary nose of licorice, black spices and eucalyptus. On the palate, it really does drink like a fine port with incredibly sweet black fruits and an extensive array of spices - coriander, pepper, coffee, orange. Deeply round and ultra-smooth, it is a fat wine with absolutely no astringency and just goes down like velvet. An emotional experience to taste but such a unique and crazy wine that I found I preferred some of the more classically proportioned wines tonight. Still, an incredible joy to taste such a great bottle of this wine.
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I secured this bottle from "Wide World of Wine" in DC about 20 years ago and the condition was extraordinary, with an ullage just below the neck. It supposedly was sourced from a cold UK cellar along with a treasure trove of other old Bordeaux from the decade of the 50’s and 60’s. Is it too good to be true? The cork was moist and very tight and crumbled immediately on extraction no matter what device I used. But the wine - well it was astonishingly youthful, seemingly 25 years old rather than 65. A huge blast of very sweet blueberry essence burst out of the decanter as soon as I started to pour it. The port analogy was obvious. But once in the glass, it settled down a bit and was merely intensely fruity but without the sweetness. The harmony was incredible with the tannin, acidity, violet, rose and raspberry all swirling about the glass. Relatively light weight but excellent length, long and unwavering to the whisper of a finish. This bottle was surely genuine, since Rudy and his ilk were still almost in diapers when I bought it and the incidence of fraudulent bottles then was much lower. Yet the youthfulness was astonishing, although it began its gentle descent after about an hour, yet still wonderful after 3 hours. Unforgettable.
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Most likely a fake! Vandermeulen bottling. Very top shoulder, deep ruby with brick rim. Ripe fruit, slightly volatile, roses, black- and blueberries, fresh acidity and ripe but gripping tannins. Chocolate, minerals and a touch of green peppers, later on violets, ok length. This does not sound anything like the wine's normal description. Cork was way to young, nothing printed on it, and was not possible to get back in the bottle. Looked like it had been soaked in wine and put in with simple old cork machine. It had a square mark on the top while in the bottle. I do not know if the label would be correct for Vandermeulen.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Second of two half bottles popped and poured. Both bottles were recorked in 1971 - it did not specify, though, whether or not this occured at the chateau. This bottle showed characteristics of a ruby port. The color was a deep crimson red with hints of dark brown. The aromatics showed stewed dark liquered berries. Richer and much more lively than the previous bottle, this one showed a light raspberry aand leather note. Some cotton candy tones coming through in the precious last sip.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): First of two half bottles popped and poured. This one had the color and aromatics of a TAWNY PORT. Light brown color and light brown-red and orange fruit on the nose. We didn't give the aromas justice, but spicy strawberries, light soy sauce, and bacon fat with a touch of light caramel aromatics were singing in the glass. The palate was super elegant with a tad of chewyness on the finish. More light fruit, marmalade, lightly roasted almonds. Very nice. Not primo, but a treat for sure.
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Merchant bottling - The fill was terrible, pretty much low shoulder, so it was a little more advanced. Really feminine, soft, elegant and burgundian. Very aromatic with some light cedar, delicate spice, very complex and layered. It kept getting better in the glass, really incredibly long finish and beautiful soft mouthfeel. Completely integrated tannins but well structured.
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What an extraordinary honor to join the fraternity of those who have had this wine. Drank this with J-Sho whose notes are accurate regarding the provenance and authenticity of the bottle. Opened with an Ah-So. Wine was high shoulder fill. Finely suspended residue was taken out decanting through an unbleached coffee filter. Nose was extraordinary. Crushed flowers, baked fruit-tart and sweet-bread. It was ambrosia-like in its richness. Color was deep red with a notable ring of senescence, suggesting that the bottle was not perfectly stored. No oxidation noted on the palate, which was absolutely different from anything I have ever experienced. The wine was nuanced, and remarkably complex, and longer than anything I have had except perhaps the 2001 d'Yquem. There were layers of fruitcake, brown spices, sweet over-ripe berries. There was not a hint of acid, and I could not detect the volitle acidity either. The wine was like from another planet. I've never tasted a wine with absolutely no acid bite at all, but the pH of this wine must hover around 5.5-6. Really wierd. Finish was long, and lingered with ripe ripe berry fruit and cumin. It was a life-changing wine.
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750 ml bottle authenticated by Christie's auction house. Upon cork removal, cork was dark and aged. Cork, label, and capsule absolutely authentic. First pour tasted like it may possibly be oxidized. Decided to pour through coffee filter into decanter and re-pour. Wow! Not oxidized. Color was similar to tawny port but with more red notes. Nose was unbelievable with buttered pumpkin bread, fruitcake, slight floral note and a hint of cumin. The nose was so unbelievable, it was hard to stop smelling and begin tasting. Tremendous weight especially on midpalate. Similar to sucking on a spoon full of honey as it just sat on the palate. No acid whatsoever with subtle but tremendous complexity. Could taste the volatile acidity slightly on the hindplalate though my friend did not perceive this as much. Finish was neverending -- 5 minutes or more. This bottle was unlike any other wine. Not classic Bordeaux, Cali or anything I can think of. It was just tremendously otherworldly and fabulous. Two things stuck out. Absolutely no acid on the palate making it completely mouthcoating and wonderful. The second was the finish. I could still perceive it even after starting a new bottle -- it just kept hanging onto the midpalate in a ethereal sort of way. One other strange thing, well I expected it to fade in the glass, it continued to only improve with time in the glass despite its age. We followed with a 2005 Scarecrow and 1999 Lafite. Both were wonderful but suffered from being tasted after this monumental, ethereal, and transendent bottle of 47 Cheval Blanc.
I get the feeling this was not a perfect bottle of 47 Cheval as most accounts have the wine with a darker, more intense color but it was still a 99 point wine. It just had something wonderful about it that came through despite any faults in the storage or bottle. It was awesome and would likely be even better from a magnum.
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A prestine and singing bottle. Dark purple syrup of an unearthly nectar. Nose of red and black fruits with a tinge of earthiness. On the palate, it was like eating Christmas pudding. Port-like and hit all the right spots on the palate. The finish was so long we could still taste the wine next day. This is not a wine, it's not a port, it's an experience! Believe the hype. Best wine ever!
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This deeply colored wine offered an array of aromatics including plums, spices, leather, earth and chocolate mint. The wine was clearly concentrated offering great depth. The palate presence was very weighty, but, the finish seemed a little shorter than you find in the best bottles of 47 Cheval Blanc. Still, this was an honor and a treat to taste
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Chateau bottled. Without question the finest bottle of wine I've ever experienced. Decanted an hour and consumed over the following two with a filet at Stonehill Tavern in Laguna. Hard to tell the color with precision in the dark light but struck me as a dark, murky purple with no hint of bricking. Fruit, earth and violets on the nose. In the mouth, this was utterly extraordinary...incredibly thick and syrupy, fruit and earth perfectly knitted and a 90-second finish. I can't believe how good this wine was...everything else I've ever had pales in comparison. The 1961 Latour I had recently was nothing compared to this. The 1994 Harlan I had the following night (it was a good weekend!) tasted like a plain old tannic California Cab. I can't imagine ever enjoying wine more than this.
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Masa's Cheval dinner. Well this one was better than the first bottle of the two. Much more stuffing and the typical minty like aromas you are accustomed to with Cheval. Was a little murky though and not so fresh. The 49 showed much better than this wine.
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Beaune Wine Bar dinner. Well this was a huge disappointment for me. I had this wine twice in 2006 and it was magnificent, but not this night. See Brad's notes below. I will echo them totally.
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Tampa Part II: 47 Cheval, 47 Petrus, 20/26 Haut Brion, 28 P Clement, 26 GL, 59/82 Lafite, 53 Latour, more...: This was a Vandermulen bottling. An interesting, if modestly subpar showing for this bottle. The nose was fine, but less robust than usual. As we first tasted it, the wine had little zest and not a lot of life. Nothing was off, just very light. The finish was short. As an aside, the bottle had been decanted for three hours. As we were tasting the other wines, we finished pouring the rest of the Cheval, and let it sit for a while. It did come around more and thickened up, but didn't rise to the heights its capable of. We debated if it had needed more decanting - my opinion was no, it simply was a tough bottle. In fact, generally I would not decant wine this old for more than a half hour prior to poring it into the glass.
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(Van der Meulen bottling) Dark red colour with clearly visible brown edge. Seriously weird on the nose. This put off a lot of tasters, and the wine was very controversial. I managed to pick out a camphor scent and notes of pine needles. All the weirdness disappeared in the superb taste of this wine. Harmonious and delicious mouth feel, silky smooth texture and youthful in delivery. Chocolaty sweet and seductive and very long on the finish. If it hadn't been for the weird nose..
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Lights, camera: Action. A pristine bottle. Expectations were huge, but everyone was determined to be as objective as possible. The cork came out almost in one piece, with just a tiny bit of crumbling. Upon first smell it was clear that this bottle was SINGING. This was to be a surreal out-of-body-like experience. Like I was hovering in the air somewhere staring at myself, while consuming this wine. This is nectar extra-ordinaire. The wine in the glass was nearly black. Scents of raisins prunes and mustard emerged. I can only concur with Parker’s description of this wine. It is port-like. Furthermore there were notes of Christmas spices. I could keep picking out new nuances. In the mouth the wine was large bodied, hugely concentrated, yet oh so light on its feet, elegant and defined, structured and symmetrical, smooth and silky, complex and multi dimensional - basically everything you could ask for and a whole lot more. The finish just went on. As if the taste just didn’t want to go away. They say that 1 is a feeling. Well, this was it.
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Even for the legendary ‘47 Cheval this was stupendous. I was concerned the first few minutes because it was a bit musty. What you definitely don’t want is a corked bottle of ‘47 Cheval Blanc. But it evolved spectacularly - into the ‘63 Fonseca. The sweetest, richest, most luscious bottle of “dry” table wine imaginable. Maybe the alcohol contributes to the sense of sugar. Obviously an extreme style of wine. Lasted all night in the glass. Totally different than the great legends from the Left Bank.
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Wide World of Wine bottle. Very top shoulder level, firm cork. Very good color. This bottle took about an hour in the glass to integrate, then it took off and got better and better. For the first time I could detect the high alcohol on the nose. But supple, sweet and very complex. Very lively. It seems immortal - and immoral.
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Wide World of Wine bottle. Firm cork. Outstanding color, just the merest hint of orange at the edge. Opened too cold and seemed like the finish was too sharp. But this is ‘47 Cheval Blanc, which never disappoints, so it blossomed magnificently for at least 90 minutes. Brown sugar, plums and dark berries. Extremely smooth and luscious. Many years of life.
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Wide World of Wine bottle. At Ocean Grand with 10 guests. The most Port-like of all so far. Each bottle is different, no surprise at age 50. Very top shoulder level. Amazingly dark color. Firm moist cork. Huge perfume of prunes, raisins and dark plums. Massively fruity and oily. The sweetest red Bordeaux I have ever tasted by a wide margin. A freak. I’m in love.
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Marin Wine Cellar bottle. Very top shoulder level. Showstopper again, at my birthday celebration at Marks Las Olas. Exceptionally dark. A few muddled minutes to right itself, then a fabulously complex powerful wine of endless complexity and interest. Not as spectacular on the nose as it sometimes is but thick, sweet and Port-y again. Unique. Refuses to fade in the glass. Like no other wine.
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From a parcel of six I bought at Wide World of Wine, Washington DC. Eighteen bottles on offer, supposedly from a cold British cellar, along with a variety of other old First Growths. Price = $1200, going rate at the time, $1700. Insane amount of money for wine but I had to have it. Should have remortgaged the house and taken all 18. But the merchant was new to me. I got the offer in the mail by post card. Astonishingly dark color. Huge explosive aroma, unique in Bordeaux and probably the universe. No sign of old age or over-ripeness. Viscous, intense, fascinating. Not exactly young but no end in sight. Not as sweet as it sometimes is, but still a fleeting resemblance to Port.
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Great Wine Seminar. Great color. Long legs, viscous. This bottle displays over-ripe notes of prune, raisin but also brown sugar and molasses. Almost too sweet. Yes, it does indeed resemble vintage Port. Unique and fascinating. Lives up to its reputation. David Peppercorn: “great richness of flavor, not the best bottle of ‘47 Cheval Blanc.” Serena Sutcliffe: “slightly dry, rich and concentrated though.”
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Spectacular wine. Gorgeous perfume. Incredibly sweet entry and mid palate. Not a trace of heat or excess alcohol. Great richness. Great future. A true masterpiece of 20th century Bordeaux.
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Lively color. Dense and closed for a few minutes, then - spectacular mint chocolate bouquet. Fully and balanced. Excellent tannins. Superb. This is what it’s all about.
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Great Wine Seminar. Beautiful glowing deep ruby color. Spicy roasted perfume gradually emerges. Plummy, velvety, full. Immense power. Fascinating texture. Long finish. Very lively. Not as lush as the ‘61 today. Lacks elegance. Really good but not mind blowing.
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1/15/2024 - Aptosc6 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Spectacular wine. Port like nose. Marisheno cherries with soft tannins. Lingering finish. Incredible. My 4th time!
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2/18/2023 - JimHow Likes this wine: 100 Points
Indeed, it was an absolutely epic night at the Vienna Wine Bar in nearby Davie. I thought the 1947 Cheval Blanc was exactly the way I've heard it described over the years -- it did indeed have a subtle port like profile, but not at all unbalanced, to the contrary, holding up beautifully on the nose and palate after all these years. This was beautifully balanced, pure class, not in any way unbalanced by alcohol. The color was still a healthy purple, aged but so noble. There was no doubt in our mind that this was the real deal, Stuart was harsh in his assessment, saying it didn't match up with a previous bottle, but I'm hard pressed to see how this wine could be any better at age 76. The cork was authentically seeped through, the bottle seemed to have great provenance, the markings on the cork matched the lettering on the soiled label, with reference to a Christie's auction sale in May of 1979. I kept the bottle and cork with pictures, I'm going to ask Maureen to take a look at it next time I see her, there is certainly no doubt in our minds. It was an absolute thrill to be a part of such history and, of course, to be the recipient of such legendary generosity from Stu and Kathy Roberts. Peter and I were giddy over at our end of the table. Wow. Absolutely epic. 100 points.
We started with the perfectly delightful 168th edition of Krug, a wine I have in my room that we'll be sipping again later this afternoon, this wine in the past has been my Krug epiphany and it was a wonderful start to the evening.
Besides the Cheval Blanc, the 1990 Beausejour Duffau was a wine of the night, again, breathtaking on both the bouquet and palate, hedonistic but pure merlot class, aging beautifully. This is the second time I've had this wine and this time I get what all the fuss is about. 100 points.
Tommy's 1988 Lafleur was another stunning 99-pointer, my first Lafleur ever(?). 99+ points. At some point I stopped taking notes as one 1982 and 1990 after another appeared at the table, including 1982 Vieux Chateau Certan, 1982 Magdelaine, 1990 Clinet, 1982 Canon, 1979 and 1982 Trotanoy, and on and on.... Both the 1982 and 1990 L'Evangile were absolutely brilliant, still youthful and everything we look for from 1980s-era right bank. Tragically, my 1988 Haut Brion was corked.... Peter and I were convincing ourselves that it was just cold and needed to open up but the other side of the table detected taint and, sure enough, when I revisited it towards the end of the night, it was dead as a doorknob. Peter's 1959 Guirard was a fresh, balanced caramel beauty to end the night. Oh what a night!
On the agenda for tonight: the northern Medoc.
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2/17/2023 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Unanimous agreement that this bottle sourced from K&L 2021 was unquestionably legitimate. The fill was astounding, very top shoulder. Firm moist cork that came out in one piece. Excellent to amazing color, ruby with brown at the very edge. Giving very little on the nose though whether just opened or a few hours later. The palate however was exceptionally sweet in a white sugar way but not a caricature or vulgar. Actually it’s a very pleasant even delightful drink. No hint of volatility or excess alcohol. Only those who had tasted it before criticized it for this bottles relative simplicity and lack of perfume.
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3/22/2022 - Hugo Hilde Likes this wine: 99 Points
Cheval Blanc 1947 and company (Tøyen, Oslo): A lot of anticipation going into this tasting, praying for a correct bottle.
Bottled by the Norwegian Wine Monopoly, imported by barrel from the Cruse family. Perfectly stored since the 50ies.
Cork out in one piece, immediately wonderful scents of sous bois, dried mushrooms and a strangely positive glue aroma. This is actually still youthful, could easily be stored several decades. No doubt this is going to last all night in the glass.
What a nose. My god, complexity in the highest order. It´s not as deep as other wines, but features an endless myriad of very precise scents. I could sit all night poking my brain, always finding another element.
The fruit is red and elegant, peaches, raspberries, candied strawberries, cherries, blood orange, as well as rose stalks, gentle pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Also quite high acidity, some VA and balsamic notes, but only in the sense of adding complexity and lift, keeping it light on its toes. This is just a fraction of the components, but I was busy enjoying the wine. This is not a technical exercise after all, a wine of this magnitude just wants to be cherished. A ballerina nose, superbly elegant.
The palate needed some air to flesh out, after an hour in the glass it was perfect.
Blackberries, pine needles and an array of tertiary aromas. The fruit grew sweeter with air, strawberries and cherries balancing out the tertiary features. Scary elegant. Resolved tannins, breadth to die for. Still, even developing in the glass, for hours, it has structure somehow beyond tannins, a perfect chassis. It covers the entirety of the mouth, super expansive but never heavy.
The finish is the longest I have experienced. Close to endless, carried by strawberries, cedar and sous bois.
Nose 100, palate 98-99, finish 100 = 99++
Not an earth shattering wine in scale, (size isnt everything, ey?)but a perfect bottle of wine, not a hair out of place. Was nothing like the tasting notes from professionals, though this was not chateau bottled, seems like the barrels the chateau sold off in bulk was not as extreme as some of the barrels they bottled themselves. Obviously extreme bottle variations here, feeling lucky to experience a superb bottle of this legend.
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3/15/2022 - GuWin wrote: 98 Points
Pen, hel og nesten gjennomtrukket kork, åpnet med Durand men hadde ikke trengt det. Åpner med et snev av innestengt kjeller og fuktig bok - ikke så rart etter 75 år - men det blåser raskt av. Duften er intenst dyp og forandrer seg hele veien, starter med et søtlig mørkt bærpreg, skogbunn og lakristoner, etterhvert kommer et lite mynte-/eukalyptuspreg og svake toner av cedertre, og etter to timer jordbær. Utrolig raffinert og ren lukt.
Smaken er - utrolig nok - ungdommelig og frisk og jeg kunne tippet en god 80-tallsårgang blindt. Det er en enorm intensitet her, stor munnfølelse uten at det blir for mye; vi hadde Troplong Mondot 09 etterpå og den bød på for mye av det gode. Smakspofilen er full av varm, mørk og moden frukt, stor sødmefull bærfølelse mot modne jordbær og bjørnebær og et streif av mint mot slutten av smakskurven. Tanninstrukturen er avslepet og finkornet og bidrar til fast struktur, syren balanserer frukten perfekt. Ettersmaken må være noe av det lengste jeg har opplevd med jordbær, orientalske krydder og spicy tretoner i avslutningen. For en vin og for en opplevelse! Vi bikker lett 98 poeng her.
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6/7/2021 - Button Yang Likes this wine: 100 Points
A Negociant Version 1947 Cheval Blanc bottled by Calvet. At that time Cheval Blanc was not even in "Grand Cru Classé" growth.
I could not imagine a 74-year-old wine was able to present such youthful aspects. When uncorked, the aromas were enclosed and tannins were astringent. I didn't hesitate to use a decanter, and even though, the bottle was not opened until 2 hours later.
The first glass revealed aromas like sous-bois, balsamic, tobacco and some elegant aquilaria nose. There was NO vegetal nose at all, which means high maturity was embodied in the wine. The acidity was high and the body could be classed as "medium to full".Tannins were still very astringent.
The second glass : the balsamic nose vanished and more aquilaria and tobacco nose arose, accompanying truffle, graphite and cedar nose, corresponding its cabernet franc base.The acidity went smoothier but tannins were still firm and a little bit dry. The body went fuller, and the aftertaste was very long.
The third glass:at its prime! except the aromas mentioned above, some primary and secondary aromas arose magically! Could you imagine you can find violet，figs, dried rose and blueberry nose from a wine more than 70-year-old? The touch and the tannins went ethereal and even a little bit sweetness could be observed from the wine! This is the ultimate "balanced" wine I have been dreaming about for long time.
I'm not sure if I can taste '47 Cheval Blanc once more, but I'm clear that I'm so lucky that I can have it in my 30s.
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3/3/2020 - Wine by Bok wrote: 100 Points
LEGENDARY CHEVAL BLANC 47
I finally popped this bottle to share with my good friend as I lost a bet to him last year. Cork came out pristine, bottle condition was perfect! After 68 years old, I have least expectations. But it turned out to be my WINE OF THE YEAR 2015. Totally mind blowing, fragrance occupied the table. The body was so alive, fresh and elegant. It tasted like a Cheval 70, still way too young! Drank it over 3 hours, no sign of fading. The Armand Rousseau Clos de Beze 99 next to it pales.”
more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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6/1/2019 - G_H wrote: 99 Points
Cheval Blanc Vertical ‘Chez Elke’ (Hotel Hohenzollern, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler): Negociant bottle. Started out slow but then gained a lot with air and kept gaining. Herbs, camomile, sweet tea, incredibly long and multi faceted wine.
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6/1/2019 - hartmarco Likes this wine: 98 Points
Gorgeous bottle; initially a very woody smell that dissipated and made room to beautiful beautiful aromas of camomille and vanilla. A pleasure on the palate, definitely a rockstar - what a pleasure
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3/26/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 100 Points
An Evening of Vinous Merriment and Majesty Among Friends (Craft, New York): This is incredibly precise and delineated. The fruit is amazingly alive and fresh. Great acidity with a flinty smokey nose. Phenomenal complexity. Stunning!
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2/28/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine:
Base neck fill. Bottle was purchased off a bordeaux negociant from his home cellar 18 years ago. The wine was port like with raisins, tobacco, earth and plum fruit with lifted and sharp acidity. Very rich, deep, powerful and long especially for its age. Crazily youthful wine which kept improving in the glass. To be completely frank, it was not the type of aged bordeaux I love the most because of that port-like character. I wish I had more in the glass to follow for another 1-2 hours as the complexity of this wine was indeed exceptional. I will certainly try this again from another source to see the difference. The sensation I had was quite similar to other TNs I saw here. One thing for certain is how incredibly rich and powerful the wine was for its age. 45 Mouton is the next bottle on my bucket list. No score for this wine tonight.
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2/16/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 100 Points
47CB and Friends (3030 Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): From a bottle I purchased almost 30 years ago, allegedly from a cold British cellar, very top shoulder level. Expectations for a legend like this are practically impossible to meet, especially with the anticipation building up the last few months I have been planning this Cheval Blanc wine dinner. The cork rose from the bottle easily in one piece due to the magic Durand. The color is shocking, still red, barely orange at the meniscus. Oh, no, could this be a Rudy or Hardy fake? No, by the time we finished the bottle, everyone agreed it was real. Gorgeous bouquet of plum, rose and red licorice. On the palate, the flavors echo the scents with an intriguing hint of mint and prune. It’s still quite sweet, if slightly less so than 20 years ago, and less flamboyant as well, but just as intriguing. To top off this amazing experience is the silky texture and ineffable complexity. Held up fine for a couple of hours until we could resist no more and drained the rest of the bottle. Breathtaking and perfect, a memory of a lifetime.
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9/2/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Soft spice and white pepper, raspberry and candied red plum. A softer and incrementally more spiced than my last. Very nice.
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6/4/2017 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind, I believe this bottle had a mid to low shoulder fill. It had a medium red center with light tan/yellow/clear rims. The high- intensity nose of sauteed cherries, brown sugar, fruitcake, and soil was somewhat spoiled by an oxidative note.
This wine was a bit rough at first but mellowed nicely in the mouth. It had a creamy texture, light tannin, firm acidity and excellent length. It tasted like a hot year wine with extreme ripeness and a bit of excess alcohol.
I don't think this bottle was treated particularly well but it wasn't clearly flawed either. This bottle certainly argued for drinking this wine as soon as possible. However, my guess is that bottles in pristine condition might last for decades.
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5/22/2016 - fclarity wrote: 96 Points
Tasted blind, I was told afterward that this bottle had a high to mid-shoulder fill. The wine had a deep red/purple center and some orange at the rim. The medium+ intensity nose of black cherries, cola, ginger, mint, and soil. It had a 100 point nose!
In the mouth, the distinctive trait of this wine was its silky texture. It was amazing! It came across as refined as it danced over my tongue, yet it was also rich and had some acidity. This particular bottle also showed a touch of oxidation. It showed good, but not great, length. It was so refined you really needed to focus on it and any other flavors (like food or the '45 Mouton!) would easily deminish its impact.
I doubt this wine will be getting any better but it is pretty great now! Drink up.
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3/5/2016 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
While this bottle was clearly authentic, I was a bit nervous about the low shoulder fill. This bottle had an immense amount of sediment and the cork was so dark it was almost impossible to read. At first, the high intensity nose showed oxidation and raisins like a Vin Santo. However, after extended air it exhibited cherries, fruitcake, high-toned vanilla, brown spices, and Provencal herb. By "high-toned" I mean that there was clearly excessive alcohol.
In the mouth, the texture of this wine was stunning. The tannins were light and rounded and the fruit was abundant. However, the alcohol was so high it stuck out a little bit.
This was a wild wine to taste and it certainly stretched one's taste buds. This wine's unctuous texture argued for a higher score but the wine's odd elements held it back. Did the bottle's low fill have an impact? Very enjoyable but drink up based on this bottle.
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3/3/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Most at the table thought this was a representative bottle although some said they've had slightly better from ex-chateau bottlings. I thought this was about what it should be given my two previous tastings. The nose is very much like vintage port with strong notes of coffee, sweet black raspberries and floral liquere. The palate is much the same and I'm not sure one could distinguish this blind from a top-flight, aged vintage port. There is an incredible violet essence here along with flavors of black currants and dark chocolate. It is rich and sumptuous but still with some underlying acidity and the finish is deeply concentrated and complex with further notes of coffee and oriental spices. Interesting, unique and I can see it's greatness but not really what I'm looking for when I drink aged Bordeaux. My firm belief now having tasted the wine 3 times is that it was probably a much better wine 20 years ago than it is today so I would only look for this now in large format. 95-
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2/25/2016 - cooberp Likes this wine: 93 Points
A 50-ml pour from an untouched, quite age-appropriate-looking bottle at 67 Pall Mall in London. They tried to Coravin it, but the cork sank in immediately. Totally transparent light brick color. Elegant but a touch reticent at the start, it opens with swirling and springs to life after 5-10 min. Mature, totally clean and harmonious aromas of soy sauce, earth, charcoal, petits fours, cinnamon, and baked red fruits/cherry pie. It's actually something like a Chateau Musar profile, but without any VA and much more regal--not remotely the heady, Port-like character I was expecting. The nose gives me the same sense of snuggling up to a fire in the winter I got from my epiphany 1983 vintage of this wine. The wine also displays an outstanding mouthfeel. It's got the old-wine viscosity and somehow you can still really feel the tannin, yet it's simultaneously impossibly lightweight, with the same perceived density as my adjacent glass of water.
Unfortunately, the fireworks I was hoping for aren't there on the palate. For a wine that was famously left with residual sugar I don't taste any sweetness at all. There's a quick hit of flavor, but past the attack I'm left mainly tasting acid and alcohol. Who knows if this was real--it certainly tastes its purported age, but its character doesn't fit at all with other tasting notes on this wine. Then again, after 70 years, every bottle is different. The score is about as high as I can go for a wine on smell and texture alone.
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2/24/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Raisin and wood notes on the nose with faint menthol on the backnose. Sweet dark cherry before one even tastes it. A deep and concentrated palate with bitter cherry, blackberry. Black raspberry syrup. Dark earth and coal dust after the midpalate. Notes of tea and dark chocolate on the finish. While not necessarily my preferred style of wine, an exceptional effort in all respects. Served with roasted squab.
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12/20/2015 - Wine_lvr wrote: 90 Points
Cheval Blanc Vertical Tasting (Old Swiss House, Lucerne, Switzerland): Château bottling with MS fill. Brick color. Nose showed lovage, coffee and some dusty notes. Still nice sweetness but overall surprisingly short and light. After 10 minutes the wine fell completely apart. Not the legend I was hoping for and not a representative bottle.
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7/27/2014 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 99 Points
One of the best wines I've ever had, dark rubin with orange reflexes, a lot of primary fruits as plums, cherries, very fresh, after 15 minutes more fruit compote, a hint of Tahiti vanilla, spices as cloves and fresh grounded black pepper, not intrusive , Tannins extremely smooth and silky, high density and still good acidity, never ending finish, I can't believe minimal oxidative signs, still 10-20 years ahead99+
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3/8/2014 - Fatty Cat wrote: 99 Points
Cheval Blanc tasting (30 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2014: rubin red color; very intense and complex bouquet, especially prominent and showy: truffles, garlic and oranges; reminded of a top port wine; contained a high-class sweetness; medium body; juicy, oily texture.
Here we go: one of the wine world's icons ... and the bottle delivered: truly one of my best wines ever and certainly THE wine of the tasting.
Vintages 3rd flight: 1947-1950-1952-1953-1961
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2/8/2013 - bcd Likes this wine: 97 Points
Welcome to wine heaven! Still absolutely strong and present in the glass - great!
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12/2/2012 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
A Weekend Of Aged First-Growths At Beau-Rivage in Geneva (Beau-Rivage Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland): The reason I went to Switzerland was to taste a perfect bottle of this wine and others assured me it was. Excellent deep color with an extraordinary nose of licorice, black spices and eucalyptus. On the palate, it really does drink like a fine port with incredibly sweet black fruits and an extensive array of spices - coriander, pepper, coffee, orange. Deeply round and ultra-smooth, it is a fat wine with absolutely no astringency and just goes down like velvet. An emotional experience to taste but such a unique and crazy wine that I found I preferred some of the more classically proportioned wines tonight. Still, an incredible joy to taste such a great bottle of this wine.
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4/28/2012 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
I secured this bottle from "Wide World of Wine" in DC about 20 years ago and the condition was extraordinary, with an ullage just below the neck. It supposedly was sourced from a cold UK cellar along with a treasure trove of other old Bordeaux from the decade of the 50’s and 60’s. Is it too good to be true? The cork was moist and very tight and crumbled immediately on extraction no matter what device I used. But the wine - well it was astonishingly youthful, seemingly 25 years old rather than 65. A huge blast of very sweet blueberry essence burst out of the decanter as soon as I started to pour it. The port analogy was obvious. But once in the glass, it settled down a bit and was merely intensely fruity but without the sweetness. The harmony was incredible with the tannin, acidity, violet, rose and raspberry all swirling about the glass. Relatively light weight but excellent length, long and unwavering to the whisper of a finish. This bottle was surely genuine, since Rudy and his ilk were still almost in diapers when I bought it and the incidence of fraudulent bottles then was much lower. Yet the youthfulness was astonishing, although it began its gentle descent after about an hour, yet still wonderful after 3 hours. Unforgettable.
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11/22/2010 - Dubie wrote: flawed
You know this is an amazing wine as, despite its corkedness, you could sense the black pepper driven power wanting to come through. Such a pity!
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11/16/2010 - Christer Byklum wrote: flawed
Most likely a fake! Vandermeulen bottling. Very top shoulder, deep ruby with brick rim. Ripe fruit, slightly volatile, roses, black- and blueberries, fresh acidity and ripe but gripping tannins. Chocolate, minerals and a touch of green peppers, later on violets, ok length.
This does not sound anything like the wine's normal description. Cork was way to young, nothing printed on it, and was not possible to get back in the bottle. Looked like it had been soaked in wine and put in with simple old cork machine. It had a square mark on the top while in the bottle. I do not know if the label would be correct for Vandermeulen.
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7/30/2010 - slaughterer wrote: 100 Points
Perfect bottle :-)
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6/1/2010 - BBG London Likes this wine: 97 Points
classic wine.
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8/29/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Second of two half bottles popped and poured. Both bottles were recorked in 1971 - it did not specify, though, whether or not this occured at the chateau.
This bottle showed characteristics of a ruby port. The color was a deep crimson red with hints of dark brown. The aromatics showed stewed dark liquered berries.
Richer and much more lively than the previous bottle, this one showed a light raspberry aand leather note.
Some cotton candy tones coming through in the precious last sip.
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8/29/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 90 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): First of two half bottles popped and poured. This one had the color and aromatics of a TAWNY PORT. Light brown color and light brown-red and orange fruit on the nose.
We didn't give the aromas justice, but spicy strawberries, light soy sauce, and bacon fat with a touch of light caramel aromatics were singing in the glass.
The palate was super elegant with a tad of chewyness on the finish. More light fruit, marmalade, lightly roasted almonds.
Very nice. Not primo, but a treat for sure.
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8/17/2009 - Samantha wrote: 98 Points
Merchant bottling - The fill was terrible, pretty much low shoulder, so it was a little more advanced. Really feminine, soft, elegant and burgundian. Very aromatic with some light cedar, delicate spice, very complex and layered. It kept getting better in the glass, really incredibly long finish and beautiful soft mouthfeel. Completely integrated tannins but well structured.
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3/12/2009 - mmyette wrote: 99 Points
What an extraordinary honor to join the fraternity of those who have had this wine. Drank this with J-Sho whose notes are accurate regarding the provenance and authenticity of the bottle. Opened with an Ah-So. Wine was high shoulder fill. Finely suspended residue was taken out decanting through an unbleached coffee filter. Nose was extraordinary. Crushed flowers, baked fruit-tart and sweet-bread. It was ambrosia-like in its richness. Color was deep red with a notable ring of senescence, suggesting that the bottle was not perfectly stored. No oxidation noted on the palate, which was absolutely different from anything I have ever experienced. The wine was nuanced, and remarkably complex, and longer than anything I have had except perhaps the 2001 d'Yquem. There were layers of fruitcake, brown spices, sweet over-ripe berries. There was not a hint of acid, and I could not detect the volitle acidity either. The wine was like from another planet. I've never tasted a wine with absolutely no acid bite at all, but the pH of this wine must hover around 5.5-6. Really wierd. Finish was long, and lingered with ripe ripe berry fruit and cumin. It was a life-changing wine.
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3/11/2009 - J-Sho wrote: 99 Points
750 ml bottle authenticated by Christie's auction house. Upon cork removal, cork was dark and aged. Cork, label, and capsule absolutely authentic. First pour tasted like it may possibly be oxidized. Decided to pour through coffee filter into decanter and re-pour. Wow! Not oxidized. Color was similar to tawny port but with more red notes. Nose was unbelievable with buttered pumpkin bread, fruitcake, slight floral note and a hint of cumin. The nose was so unbelievable, it was hard to stop smelling and begin tasting. Tremendous weight especially on midpalate. Similar to sucking on a spoon full of honey as it just sat on the palate. No acid whatsoever with subtle but tremendous complexity. Could taste the volatile acidity slightly on the hindplalate though my friend did not perceive this as much. Finish was neverending -- 5 minutes or more. This bottle was unlike any other wine. Not classic Bordeaux, Cali or anything I can think of. It was just tremendously otherworldly and fabulous. Two things stuck out. Absolutely no acid on the palate making it completely mouthcoating and wonderful. The second was the finish. I could still perceive it even after starting a new bottle -- it just kept hanging onto the midpalate in a ethereal sort of way. One other strange thing, well I expected it to fade in the glass, it continued to only improve with time in the glass despite its age. We followed with a 2005 Scarecrow and 1999 Lafite. Both were wonderful but suffered from being tasted after this monumental, ethereal, and transendent bottle of 47 Cheval Blanc.
I get the feeling this was not a perfect bottle of 47 Cheval as most accounts have the wine with a darker, more intense color but it was still a 99 point wine. It just had something wonderful about it that came through despite any faults in the storage or bottle. It was awesome and would likely be even better from a magnum.
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12/6/2008 - winecowboy wrote: 100 Points
A prestine and singing bottle. Dark purple syrup of an unearthly nectar. Nose of red and black fruits with a tinge of earthiness. On the palate, it was like eating Christmas pudding. Port-like and hit all the right spots on the palate. The finish was so long we could still taste the wine next day. This is not a wine, it's not a port, it's an experience! Believe the hype. Best wine ever!
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6/15/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
This deeply colored wine offered an array of aromatics including plums, spices, leather, earth and chocolate mint. The wine was clearly concentrated offering great depth. The palate presence was very weighty, but, the finish seemed a little shorter than you find in the best bottles of 47 Cheval Blanc. Still, this was an honor and a treat to taste
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2/8/2008 - nvandyk wrote: 100 Points
Chateau bottled. Without question the finest bottle of wine I've ever experienced. Decanted an hour and consumed over the following two with a filet at Stonehill Tavern in Laguna. Hard to tell the color with precision in the dark light but struck me as a dark, murky purple with no hint of bricking. Fruit, earth and violets on the nose. In the mouth, this was utterly extraordinary...incredibly thick and syrupy, fruit and earth perfectly knitted and a 90-second finish. I can't believe how good this wine was...everything else I've ever had pales in comparison. The 1961 Latour I had recently was nothing compared to this. The 1994 Harlan I had the following night (it was a good weekend!) tasted like a plain old tannic California Cab. I can't imagine ever enjoying wine more than this.
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2/4/2007 - G SQUARED wrote: 92 Points
Masa's Cheval dinner. Well this one was better than the first bottle of the two. Much more stuffing and the typical minty like aromas you are accustomed to with Cheval. Was a little murky though and not so fresh. The 49 showed much better than this wine.
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1/15/2007 - G SQUARED wrote: 89 Points
Beaune Wine Bar dinner. Well this was a huge disappointment for me. I had this wine twice in 2006 and it was magnificent, but not this night. See Brad's notes below. I will echo them totally.
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1/13/2007 - BradE wrote:
Tampa Part II: 47 Cheval, 47 Petrus, 20/26 Haut Brion, 28 P Clement, 26 GL, 59/82 Lafite, 53 Latour, more...: This was a Vandermulen bottling. An interesting, if modestly subpar showing for this bottle. The nose was fine, but less robust than usual. As we first tasted it, the wine had little zest and not a lot of life. Nothing was off, just very light. The finish was short. As an aside, the bottle had been decanted for three hours. As we were tasting the other wines, we finished pouring the rest of the Cheval, and let it sit for a while. It did come around more and thickened up, but didn't rise to the heights its capable of. We debated if it had needed more decanting - my opinion was no, it simply was a tough bottle. In fact, generally I would not decant wine this old for more than a half hour prior to poring it into the glass.
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10/3/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 95 Points
(Van der Meulen bottling) Dark red colour with clearly visible brown edge. Seriously weird on the nose. This put off a lot of tasters, and the wine was very controversial. I managed to pick out a camphor scent and notes of pine needles. All the weirdness disappeared in the superb taste of this wine. Harmonious and delicious mouth feel, silky smooth texture and youthful in delivery. Chocolaty sweet and seductive and very long on the finish. If it hadn't been for the weird nose..
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10/3/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 100 Points
Lights, camera: Action. A pristine bottle. Expectations were huge, but everyone was determined to be as objective as possible. The cork came out almost in one piece, with just a tiny bit of crumbling. Upon first smell it was clear that this bottle was SINGING. This was to be a surreal out-of-body-like experience. Like I was hovering in the air somewhere staring at myself, while consuming this wine. This is nectar extra-ordinaire. The wine in the glass was nearly black. Scents of raisins prunes and mustard emerged. I can only concur with Parker’s description of this wine. It is port-like. Furthermore there were notes of Christmas spices. I could keep picking out new nuances. In the mouth the wine was large bodied, hugely concentrated, yet oh so light on its feet, elegant and defined, structured and symmetrical, smooth and silky, complex and multi dimensional - basically everything you could ask for and a whole lot more. The finish just went on. As if the taste just didn’t want to go away. They say that 1 is a feeling. Well, this was it.
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3/1/2002 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Even for the legendary ‘47 Cheval this was stupendous. I was concerned the first few minutes because it was a bit musty. What you definitely don’t want is a corked bottle of ‘47 Cheval Blanc. But it evolved spectacularly - into the ‘63 Fonseca. The sweetest, richest, most luscious bottle of “dry” table wine imaginable. Maybe the alcohol contributes to the sense of sugar. Obviously an extreme style of wine. Lasted all night in the glass. Totally different than the great legends from the Left Bank.
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6/1/2001 - sdr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wide World of Wine bottle. Very top shoulder level, firm cork. Very good color. This bottle took about an hour in the glass to integrate, then it took off and got better and better. For the first time I could detect the high alcohol on the nose. But supple, sweet and very complex. Very lively. It seems immortal - and immoral.
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10/1/1998 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wide World of Wine bottle. Firm cork. Outstanding color, just the merest hint of orange at the edge. Opened too cold and seemed like the finish was too sharp. But this is ‘47 Cheval Blanc, which never disappoints, so it blossomed magnificently for at least 90 minutes. Brown sugar, plums and dark berries. Extremely smooth and luscious. Many years of life.
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6/1/1997 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wide World of Wine bottle. At Ocean Grand with 10 guests. The most Port-like of all so far. Each bottle is different, no surprise at age 50. Very top shoulder level. Amazingly dark color. Firm moist cork. Huge perfume of prunes, raisins and dark plums. Massively fruity and oily. The sweetest red Bordeaux I have ever tasted by a wide margin. A freak. I’m in love.
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2/1/1997 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Marin Wine Cellar bottle. Very top shoulder level. Showstopper again, at my birthday celebration at Marks Las Olas. Exceptionally dark. A few muddled minutes to right itself, then a fabulously complex powerful wine of endless complexity and interest. Not as spectacular on the nose as it sometimes is but thick, sweet and Port-y again. Unique. Refuses to fade in the glass. Like no other wine.
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1/1/1995 - sdr Likes this wine: 99 Points
From a parcel of six I bought at Wide World of Wine, Washington DC. Eighteen bottles on offer, supposedly from a cold British cellar, along with a variety of other old First Growths. Price = $1200, going rate at the time, $1700. Insane amount of money for wine but I had to have it. Should have remortgaged the house and taken all 18. But the merchant was new to me. I got the offer in the mail by post card.
Astonishingly dark color. Huge explosive aroma, unique in Bordeaux and probably the universe. No sign of old age or over-ripeness. Viscous, intense, fascinating. Not exactly young but no end in sight. Not as sweet as it sometimes is, but still a fleeting resemblance to Port.
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3/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Great Wine Seminar. Great color. Long legs, viscous. This bottle displays over-ripe notes of prune, raisin but also brown sugar and molasses. Almost too sweet. Yes, it does indeed resemble vintage Port. Unique and fascinating. Lives up to its reputation.
David Peppercorn: “great richness of flavor, not the best bottle of ‘47 Cheval Blanc.” Serena Sutcliffe: “slightly dry, rich and concentrated though.”
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2/1/1992 - sdr Likes this wine: 99 Points
Spectacular wine. Gorgeous perfume. Incredibly sweet entry and mid palate. Not a trace of heat or excess alcohol. Great richness. Great future. A true masterpiece of 20th century Bordeaux.
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1/1/1990 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Lively color. Dense and closed for a few minutes, then - spectacular mint chocolate bouquet. Fully and balanced. Excellent tannins. Superb. This is what it’s all about.
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3/1/1989 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great Wine Seminar. Beautiful glowing deep ruby color. Spicy roasted perfume gradually emerges. Plummy, velvety, full. Immense power. Fascinating texture. Long finish. Very lively. Not as lush as the ‘61 today. Lacks elegance. Really good but not mind blowing.
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