By the glass. With thirty years on, time to beat those on the right bank from a tremendously uneven vintage. All bottles open six hours before tasting. WOTN. Clearly and mercilessly. On the nose are traces of fruit in the form of sweet dried prunes and milk chocolate. Precision and finesse. Initially the palate repeats that taste for chocolate but immediately highlights run for that velvety texture and that dusty doctrine of the Cabernet Franc. Protestant firmness bottled. Precise. As on so many other occasions, an experience in itself. Totally recommended.
Por copas. Con treinta años encima, hora de dar una batida a los de la margen derecha en una añada tremendamente desigual. Todas las botellas abiertas seis horas antes de la cata. Vino de la tarde. Claramente y sin piedad. En nariz quedan rastros de fruta en forma de dulces ciruelas pasas y de chocolate con leche. Precisión y finura. Inicialmente al paladar repite ese gusto por el chocolate pero en seguida sobresale la textura aterciopelada y la doctrina polvorienta de la Cabernet Franc. Firmeza protestante embotellada. Precisa. Como en tantas otras ocasiones, una experiencia en sí misma. Totalmente recomendable.
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Robe bien évoluée.Le nez est bien intense et très complexe surtout: des fruits rouges (cerise,groseille),mine de crayon,pruneau,café,pruneau.La bouche déçoit: c'est fluet pour ce premier cru,cela manque de matière,c'est agréable sans plus.Longueur moyenne.96 pour le nez 88 pour la bouche d'où le score.A boire sans tarder,n'ira pas plus haut !!!
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Savoury and fresh with pleasing structure and balance, but the final product was underwhelming with an acidic bite and rather bitter finish. With an impeccable reputation to live up to I found this to be a disappointment. 89 pts
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Upon initial pour, nose was completely closed. Mouth was thin and sour. After two hours of decanting, it has opened up. Nose is a bit green and stemmy. Forest floor, raspberry. A strong mineral taste which I like. In the mouth is smooth, if a bit thin.
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At Operakällaren. Nose is fantastic. Deep black fruit, fresh tobacco, a hint of violets. Suave tannins and quite long. Lovely. If anything the cabernet franc character wasn't as evident as I was hoping for but it behaved very much like a st emilion.
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30 Vintages of Cheval Blanc: All tasted blind. 1982 to 2015 (with 1949 in the mix). The wines are fragrant, perfumed, seductive and always soft and without weight. Best performing vintages: the rather hot/ripe vintages 2015, 2009 and 1982 (all complex, seductive, complete and with elevated concentration). Next best: the promising and pure 2010, the still sexy 1990 and the immortal 1949. Notable outperformer: 2011 with many other good off-vintages. Notable underperformer: 2005, 2000, 1998 which all showed rather muted and not yet ready.
TN: Not much to say about this wine as I didn’t fully dive into it at the end of a long tasting. Good concentration with dark red fruit, coffee, and minerality. Not much depth but pleasant to drink. 92/93 point experience.
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Chateau Cheval Blanc - 30 year vertical (1949-2015) tasted blind: Nose of forest floor with barnyard dominating. Medium bodied with good structure, denser than the 1993 next to it. Long, aromatic finish here as well. Mature. A strong showing from this difficult vintage.
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Intense with lightly dried fruit, ripe blackcurrant, mushrooms and distinctive aromas of wet pencil that seduces.
Medium-bodied wine with a good sense of fruity blackberry, black currant, ripe tobacco and licorice. Good accidity that helps the wine to feel fresh. The wine lacks depth and a little focus, but may well represent some of the best in the difficult vintage. A little drying finish pulls down. Good wine and very well made for the vintage, but no great experience. Drink up. 92 points.
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Still garnet with minimal bricking around the edges. Stunning nose of blackberries, black cherries, pine needles, forest floor, saddle leather and pepper. Full bodied, delectable palate, combining fruit and acidity perfectly. And a long, lingering, silky finish. Everything I would expect from a CB, despite a lesser vintage and 25 year age. Disagree this wine needs drinking up now. Gets better and better and I would say has a good 10 years ahead of it.
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Kleur: Diep robijnrood met een brede oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Kenmerkend bouquet voor een (Cabernet Franc en Merlot) gedomineerde Bordeaux. Een restant van cassis, opvallend rokerig en gronderig met kenmerken van paddestoelen en natte bosgrond. Smaak / Afdronk: Ook in de mond klassiek. Frisse zuurgraad in de start, een restant van krachtige tannines, mondvullend en geconcentreerd. Stoere en ruige wijn, wat hoekig maar absoluut aangenaam. Algemeen / potentieel: Mooie, stoere en voor velen grootse klassieke wijn. Misschien wel tè klassiek voor mij? Ik mis de rondheid. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 90/100
Google Translate:
Color: Deep ruby red with a broad orange-brown edge Aroma / bouquet: Characteristic bouquet for a (Cabernet Franc and Merlot) dominated Bordeaux. A remnant of cassis, remarkably smoky and earthy with characteristics of mushrooms and wet forest land. Taste / Finish: Also in the mouth classic. Fresh acidity in the start, a remnant of powerful tannins, mouth filling and concentrated. Tough and rough wine, somewhat angular but absolutely pleasant. General / potential: Beautiful, tough and for many great classic wine. Maybe the classic for me? I miss the roundness. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Taste / Finish: 16 + General / potential: 8 = 90/100
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Bordeaux with Les Trois Garcons (Östermalmsgatan, Stockholm): Quite elegant and restrained with noticable tannin and gravel and high acidity. Cassis and plum. Hints of spicebox. Some complexity. Very dry and long finish. Good now with obvious class but not sure where this is heading in the future. If the tannins mellow a bit and the fruit lasts this might be a beautiful wine in ten years, but if the fruit fades it will be very hard and unforgiving. Based on this bottle I would drink up.
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Much better on the nose, with its earthy, floral, tobacco and cherry personality, than on the almost, lean, stern, medium bodied, crisp palate. At close to 24 years of age, this is not going to get better from here. This is the other side of classic.
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Cheval Blanc has never been my favorite. I dislike it so much that I actually forgot what it tastes like so I've decided to give it another shot. However this is kind of disappointing once again. I do have to say that the 1994 is very young and even after 2 hours of decanting this is absolutely not ready. I'd wait another 5-8 years before approaching.
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Lean, slightly astringent but not unpleasant. Drank 2 hours after opening, and decanted it...still needs more time to fully develop. Tastes like a mature bordeaux
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Cheval Blanc is a fairly hit-and-miss affair, especially in the 90s and 80s. It lacks consistency in weaker vintages, more so than other first growth equivalent wines.
At its full maturity, this wine offers the complexity and fineness of Cheval Blanc. Lovely depth and wealthy spices and minerals, a slight sweet touch of blackcurrant, unavoidable greenness from the subtle unripeness and leanness. Shy bouquet of flowers, forest floor, and soft body, pleasant. But for £280-300, 1994 is one vintage to avoid.
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As usual even a weaker vintage delivers from a fine producer in Bordeaux. Lovely purity of fruit and fresh acidity. Quite tart and very elegant. Class act.
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Although just starting to brick at the edges, still remarkably deep ruby for a 21 year-old Bordeaux. But the bouquet - what a bouquet ! Black berries, pine needle, pepper, saddle leather, forest floor, vanilla....exquisite ! And the palate is so beautifully balanced between fruit and velvety tannins - none of the harshness of 10 years ago - a beautifully integrated and balanced mid-palate, and a long, silky finish. For a lesser vintage, this wine is truly spectacular.
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At a Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner. Medium garnet. Expressive nose of blue fruit, pine, herbs with some earth. Very deep and complex, best aromatic profile of the night. On the palate elegant with great verve, fitting and soft structure. Looks like this 94 did come around eventually. A big surprise, great showing of this Cheval Blanc from a so so vintage.
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À cause du millésime moyen, ce vin n'était pas spectaculaire mais tout de même impressionnant d'équilibre et de raffinement. Beau nez de cuir et sous-bois dès le depart puis les fruits noirs et du poivron. En bouche, des tannins de velours et une belle longueur. À 110$ (à l'époque) au Courrier Vinicole, c'était une aubaine. Maintenant, je passerai malheureusement mon tour...
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Cheval Blanc and D'Yquem dinner with Pierre Lurton and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): It was really interesting and educational that this was served after the 90. This feels very 94, soft, warm, subtle and slightly unripe which brings out Cab Franc red fruits and steely mineral. Shy fresh delicate red fruits, raspberry and strawberry, lead pencil, mineral and earth. Medium to light concentration, warm, soft and round, mineral, no noticeable tannins and medium finish. Quite enjoyable like the 79. Very food friendly claret.
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Grands châteaux bordelais, millésimes difficile. (restautant Chez Christophe): Un nez un peu fumé, avec du poivron, des épices (paprika!), le plus complexe de la soirée. La bouche est élégante, avec davantage de fruit et de rondeur que les autres, mais il reste tout de même dans un style austère. Un vin d'un bel équilibre et une finale en finesse, charmante, avec une certaine complexité. 92 pts
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Cheval Blanc tasting (30 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2014: rubin color; very intense coffee; austere in the mouth; medium body; very angular and coarse texture.
Had a bottle of 1994 Cheval Blanc several years ago. That bottle was much more open and approachable like this one.
So the following questions arise: is it (only) bottle variation? (When) did the 1994 closed down? (When) will it (ever) open up again? Guess for answers, I need at least another bottle :-).
Vintages 6th flight: 1994-1995-1996-2000-2003
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Occasional dinner group; TOP Bordeaux 1994: Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with red fruits, beautifully integrated oak, forest floor and a touch of pleasant barnyard. All the impressions com back on the palate, some dark forest fruits as well, pleasant acidity and soft tannin. Good length. A beautiful, luxurious and elegant wine. Completely ready now and no real hurry.
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Tasted blind: Intensive red color. Red berries and hints of leather and Earl. Grey tea. The wine has a nice sweetness and is very present, elegant and balanced. A beautifully aged wine that its at a wonderful drinking stage now. This is my best bottle so far.
In the series of the Angelus 94, Figeac 90, and Leoville Las Cases 1998 my favorite wine.
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Intensive red. Barn, leather, and rasberry flavor with a hint of coffee. Very smooth, tannic and well integrated acid. Plum, rasperry. Long in the finish. Drink throgh 2030
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Fill into neck. Allowed to breathe in bottle two hours before serving. Clear medium ruby-blood color with brick red at the rim. Bouquet of leafy blackberries, tobacco, leather, graphite, hint of green bell pepper. Similar on the palate, medium body, silky and seamless, with excellent balance. Great success for the vintage.
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A dark wine with ruby red rims, almost showing no age on the eye. The aromas are quite intense but most importantly very memorable. There's an initial burst of sweet tobacco, leather, blackberries, sour cherries, cassis, violets, cocoa powder, smoke, cedar, and crushed stones. As the wine enters the palate it is quite dense but not heavy. It is flavor intense with a rich array of sweet red and black fruits on the attack, following into a dark chocolate meets espresso mid-palate, with a long finish filled with a slight hint of mint and mineral notes. A wine with great structure, intensity of flavors, refreshing acidity, however it lacks balance between the fruit and acidity.
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Nice bouquet with a lot of ripe red fruits, cassis and plum. On the palate earthy impressions and a firm amount of bitterness. The tannin is a bit harsh. Possibly more cellaring time will help, but really great this wine will never be. I may sound a bit negative, but this is surely a great wine, but just not of the style and class you might expect.
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Surprisingly delicate and subtle. A nice expression of merlot. This is not your typical bordeaux with 15+ years on it. Not quite the body one might expect. But, having said that, I can say that I enjoyed the ligh structure, fruity approach of this wine. There is no focus on terroir, but rather one of lighter berries, hints of tobacco and cocoa. But nothing that makes you sit back and go, "whoa." Enjoyed with sea bass, not beef - a great pairing.
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1st Gro(w)th Nite at PRIMAs (PRIMA, Walnut Creek): nose -black tea, herbs mouth - mid to full bodied, light red fruit and herbs on the attack followed by a coffee midpalate. Well balanced, but nothing overly powerful here. In some ways reminiscent of a digestif.
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Disappointing for a wine of this class, even in a poor vintage like 94. Flat texture, with only hints of the complexity and raciness that should characterize this wine. May have been closed, but my guess is that this wine has exceeded its lifespan already.
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Elegant nose with smoy, cedar, fresh ed fruits and a touch of mint and spices.. Still quite firm tannins, a touch plummy on the palate with cherry and cassis along again spices and mint. Finish is long. Overall I really enjoyed this CB for its balance and finish.
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Still young but nice aroma and bouquet, seductive nose of Cheval Blanc. Almost full-bodied, tannic and aggressive in a good way, delicious with passion. I love the style of Bordeaux 1994, 99% of them makes me happy...the vintage's charming !! Very nice finished too.
Lunch at Le Gavroche with CO and DF. Opened and decanted for a twenty minutes. More decanting time might help. Good strong color with perhaps a hint of brown at the edge. A surprisingly strong nose. This was touted as a bit of a "sleeper" wine by CO who felt it punched above its fighting weight considering the vintage. Tasted with braised lamb shoulder and cheese and it worked well as a pairing. Slight peppery note and an earthy sense-- good strong claret and a nice finish. This is a good wine with food. I can imagine that others who tasted it on its own felt it was not as impressive as a claret qua claret but it works well at a meal. Perfectly well balanced just not a blockbuster.
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A great bottle of wine from a less than stellar vintage. Smells of classic bordeaux nose with notes of gruyere cheese. Pleasant, jammy fruit in abundance. Lengthy finish of no less than 30 secs. Wine is still quite tannic and would certainly benefit from more cellar time. Although it held up well over the course of a 2 hour meal (+1 hr in decanter) , by the end of the night it was starting to fade in the glass.
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Early Jan 2006: rubin color; intense and complex bouquet of red berries, cherries, peppermint, cedar and dark chocolate; full body; like a port wine with a touch of acidity on the palate.
Sensational nose and an excellent mouth feeling.
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Wine with friends (Seattle, WA, USA): This was Karl's bottle. At first this smelled purely of espresso and scorchy earth, but with 90 minutes of air it relented. Notes of caramel and still frsh wood wafted among the roasted coffee. On the palate this was delicious, smooth, exotic and spicy.
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Ruby red colour, Smells quite jammy with pudding notes peeking through. Strong and a little bit astringent in taste. Maybe this wine is a little bit stemmy and weedy. With some air the wine develops a somewhat sweet flavour profile of pipe tobacco. Seems to lack a bit of stuffing. My score is probably too high.
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One of my first Bordeaux tasted, UC Berkeley Extension class 1996. It sure seduced me, with chocolate, cherry, vanilla, finesse, long aftertaste, minerally, buttery oak.
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2/22/2024 - Harley1199 Likes this wine: 96 Points
By the glass. With thirty years on, time to beat those on the right bank from a tremendously uneven vintage. All bottles open six hours before tasting. WOTN. Clearly and mercilessly. On the nose are traces of fruit in the form of sweet dried prunes and milk chocolate. Precision and finesse. Initially the palate repeats that taste for chocolate but immediately highlights run for that velvety texture and that dusty doctrine of the Cabernet Franc. Protestant firmness bottled. Precise. As on so many other occasions, an experience in itself. Totally recommended.
Por copas. Con treinta años encima, hora de dar una batida a los de la margen derecha en una añada tremendamente desigual. Todas las botellas abiertas seis horas antes de la cata. Vino de la tarde. Claramente y sin piedad. En nariz quedan rastros de fruta en forma de dulces ciruelas pasas y de chocolate con leche. Precisión y finura. Inicialmente al paladar repite ese gusto por el chocolate pero en seguida sobresale la textura aterciopelada y la doctrina polvorienta de la Cabernet Franc. Firmeza protestante embotellada. Precisa. Como en tantas otras ocasiones, una experiencia en sí misma. Totalmente recomendable.
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12/31/2023 - Dionysos55 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Robe bien évoluée.Le nez est bien intense et très complexe surtout: des fruits rouges (cerise,groseille),mine de crayon,pruneau,café,pruneau.La bouche déçoit: c'est fluet pour ce premier cru,cela manque de matière,c'est agréable sans plus.Longueur moyenne.96 pour le nez 88 pour la bouche d'où le score.A boire sans tarder,n'ira pas plus haut !!!
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3/23/2023 - Romz Likes this wine: 92 Points
23032023 - impromptu session with the usual Vino heads (Mika, Jyo, LF) here in MYS.
A beauty sourced all the way from HK by bro LF.
Roasted bell peppers, algamation of stewed berries & cassis, finely tuned notes of forest floor, graphite, pencil shavings & rooibos tea. Tremendous evolvement throughout - revealing every layers & tenor it has.
Fine tannins with plenty of finesse & velvety long finish. Drink up now!
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2/8/2022 - platpeeps Likes this wine: 89 Points
Savoury and fresh with pleasing structure and balance, but the final product was underwhelming with an acidic bite and rather bitter finish. With an impeccable reputation to live up to I found this to be a disappointment. 89 pts
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5/7/2021 - VindependenceDay Likes this wine: 91 Points
Upon initial pour, nose was completely closed. Mouth was thin and sour. After two hours of decanting, it has opened up. Nose is a bit green and stemmy. Forest floor, raspberry. A strong mineral taste which I like. In the mouth is smooth, if a bit thin.
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3/11/2020 - Eriklainen wrote:
At Operakällaren. Nose is fantastic. Deep black fruit, fresh tobacco, a hint of violets. Suave tannins and quite long. Lovely. If anything the cabernet franc character wasn't as evident as I was hoping for but it behaved very much like a st emilion.
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12/16/2019 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
30 Vintages of Cheval Blanc: All tasted blind. 1982 to 2015 (with 1949 in the mix). The wines are fragrant, perfumed, seductive and always soft and without weight. Best performing vintages: the rather hot/ripe vintages 2015, 2009 and 1982 (all complex, seductive, complete and with elevated concentration). Next best: the promising and pure 2010, the still sexy 1990 and the immortal 1949. Notable outperformer: 2011 with many other good off-vintages. Notable underperformer: 2005, 2000, 1998 which all showed rather muted and not yet ready.
TN: Not much to say about this wine as I didn’t fully dive into it at the end of a long tasting. Good concentration with dark red fruit, coffee, and minerality. Not much depth but pleasant to drink. 92/93 point experience.
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11/29/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
Chateau Cheval Blanc - 30 year vertical (1949-2015) tasted blind: Nose of forest floor with barnyard dominating. Medium bodied with good structure, denser than the 1993 next to it. Long, aromatic finish here as well. Mature. A strong showing from this difficult vintage.
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9/29/2019 - Cailles wrote: flawed
Badly corked but underneath this showed promising (especially for such a subpar vintage).
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7/7/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 92 Points
Intense with lightly dried fruit, ripe blackcurrant, mushrooms and distinctive aromas of wet pencil that seduces.
Medium-bodied wine with a good sense of fruity blackberry, black currant, ripe tobacco and licorice. Good accidity that helps the wine to feel fresh. The wine lacks depth and a little focus, but may well represent some of the best in the difficult vintage. A little drying finish pulls down. Good wine and very well made for the vintage, but no great experience. Drink up. 92 points.
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2/9/2019 - RISM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still garnet with minimal bricking around the edges. Stunning nose of blackberries, black cherries, pine needles, forest floor, saddle leather and pepper. Full bodied, delectable palate, combining fruit and acidity perfectly. And a long, lingering, silky finish. Everything I would expect from a CB, despite a lesser vintage and 25 year age. Disagree this wine needs drinking up now. Gets better and better and I would say has a good 10 years ahead of it.
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12/25/2018 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 90 Points
Kleur: Diep robijnrood met een brede oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Kenmerkend bouquet voor een (Cabernet Franc en Merlot) gedomineerde Bordeaux. Een restant van cassis, opvallend rokerig en gronderig met kenmerken van paddestoelen en natte bosgrond. Smaak / Afdronk: Ook in de mond klassiek. Frisse zuurgraad in de start, een restant van krachtige tannines, mondvullend en geconcentreerd. Stoere en ruige wijn, wat hoekig maar absoluut aangenaam. Algemeen / potentieel: Mooie, stoere en voor velen grootse klassieke wijn. Misschien wel tè klassiek voor mij? Ik mis de rondheid. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 90/100
Google Translate:
Color: Deep ruby red with a broad orange-brown edge Aroma / bouquet: Characteristic bouquet for a (Cabernet Franc and Merlot) dominated Bordeaux. A remnant of cassis, remarkably smoky and earthy with characteristics of mushrooms and wet forest land. Taste / Finish: Also in the mouth classic. Fresh acidity in the start, a remnant of powerful tannins, mouth filling and concentrated. Tough and rough wine, somewhat angular but absolutely pleasant. General / potential: Beautiful, tough and for many great classic wine. Maybe the classic for me? I miss the roundness. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Taste / Finish: 16 + General / potential: 8 = 90/100
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9/29/2018 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bordeaux with Les Trois Garcons (Östermalmsgatan, Stockholm): Quite elegant and restrained with noticable tannin and gravel and high acidity. Cassis and plum. Hints of spicebox. Some complexity. Very dry and long finish. Good now with obvious class but not sure where this is heading in the future. If the tannins mellow a bit and the fruit lasts this might be a beautiful wine in ten years, but if the fruit fades it will be very hard and unforgiving. Based on this bottle I would drink up.
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7/28/2018 - Rogershkg wrote: 93 Points
Nose good. Colourist still excellent deep red. Cassis and overtones. Long taste
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10/2/2017 - jswine15 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very fine wine, quite light but well balanced with almost a smoky nose.
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8/21/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Much better on the nose, with its earthy, floral, tobacco and cherry personality, than on the almost, lean, stern, medium bodied, crisp palate. At close to 24 years of age, this is not going to get better from here. This is the other side of classic.
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2/16/2017 - TWSA wrote: 87 Points
Cheval Blanc has never been my favorite. I dislike it so much that I actually forgot what it tastes like so I've decided to give it another shot. However this is kind of disappointing once again. I do have to say that the 1994 is very young and even after 2 hours of decanting this is absolutely not ready. I'd wait another 5-8 years before approaching.
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2/3/2017 - jswine15 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lean, slightly astringent but not unpleasant. Drank 2 hours after opening, and decanted it...still needs more time to fully develop. Tastes like a mature bordeaux
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1/12/2017 - Lype Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very seductive nose, to me attractive and approachable wine although not everybody seems to agree, I am not sure will this develop much.
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11/11/2016 - Sultanrocks Likes this wine: 92 Points
deep ruby red，great balance tannin，long finish，hint of spice，peppery
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9/11/2016 - Jammy Wine wrote: 90 Points
Cheval Blanc is a fairly hit-and-miss affair, especially in the 90s and 80s. It lacks consistency in weaker vintages, more so than other first growth equivalent wines.
At its full maturity, this wine offers the complexity and fineness of Cheval Blanc. Lovely depth and wealthy spices and minerals, a slight sweet touch of blackcurrant, unavoidable greenness from the subtle unripeness and leanness. Shy bouquet of flowers, forest floor, and soft body, pleasant. But for £280-300, 1994 is one vintage to avoid.
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6/12/2016 - Tavastgatan wrote: 94 Points
As usual even a weaker vintage delivers from a fine producer in Bordeaux. Lovely purity of fruit and fresh acidity. Quite tart and very elegant. Class act.
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6/7/2016 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 94 Points
Cheval Blanc levererar i stort sett alltid, oavsett årgång. Elegant som vanligt
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6/7/2016 - Sundbyberg wrote: 95 Points
Very old school, yet with great, lean, soft and elegant fruit, with a slightly sweet ending. Even some complexity. Reminded me of a Margaux.
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2/26/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
Château Cheval Blanc vertical tasting dinner #2 (Vienna Cafe & Wine Bar): Blueberry, black cherry, tobacco, espresso, sous bois, vanilla. Impressive. Velvety mouthfeel, still with tannins to resolve. Medium length finish. A great 1994.
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12/26/2015 - RISM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Although just starting to brick at the edges, still remarkably deep ruby for a 21 year-old Bordeaux. But the bouquet - what a bouquet ! Black berries, pine needle, pepper, saddle leather, forest floor, vanilla....exquisite ! And the palate is so beautifully balanced between fruit and velvety tannins - none of the harshness of 10 years ago - a beautifully integrated and balanced mid-palate, and a long, silky finish. For a lesser vintage, this wine is truly spectacular.
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7/25/2015 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
A great 1994 - interesting nose, bits of porcini, truffles, mouth tabacco and leather but all very fine. Good length and intensity.
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7/24/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
At a Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner. Medium garnet. Expressive nose of blue fruit, pine, herbs with some earth. Very deep and complex, best aromatic profile of the night. On the palate elegant with great verve, fitting and soft structure. Looks like this 94 did come around eventually. A big surprise, great showing of this Cheval Blanc from a so so vintage.
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6/6/2015 - millesime66 wrote: 95 Points
À cause du millésime moyen, ce vin n'était pas spectaculaire mais tout de même impressionnant d'équilibre et de raffinement. Beau nez de cuir et sous-bois dès le depart puis les fruits noirs et du poivron. En bouche, des tannins de velours et une belle longueur. À 110$ (à l'époque) au Courrier Vinicole, c'était une aubaine. Maintenant, je passerai malheureusement mon tour...
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4/22/2015 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Cheval Blanc and D'Yquem dinner with Pierre Lurton and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): It was really interesting and educational that this was served after the 90. This feels very 94, soft, warm, subtle and slightly unripe which brings out Cab Franc red fruits and steely mineral. Shy fresh delicate red fruits, raspberry and strawberry, lead pencil, mineral and earth. Medium to light concentration, warm, soft and round, mineral, no noticeable tannins and medium finish. Quite enjoyable like the 79. Very food friendly claret.
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3/3/2015 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Neil Martin dinner
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9/25/2014 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Grands châteaux bordelais, millésimes difficile. (restautant Chez Christophe): Un nez un peu fumé, avec du poivron, des épices (paprika!), le plus complexe de la soirée. La bouche est élégante, avec davantage de fruit et de rondeur que les autres, mais il reste tout de même dans un style austère. Un vin d'un bel équilibre et une finale en finesse, charmante, avec une certaine complexité. 92 pts
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3/8/2014 - Fatty Cat wrote: 90 Points
Cheval Blanc tasting (30 different vintages) at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2014: rubin color; very intense coffee; austere in the mouth; medium body; very angular and coarse texture.
Had a bottle of 1994 Cheval Blanc several years ago. That bottle was much more open and approachable like this one.
So the following questions arise: is it (only) bottle variation? (When) did the 1994 closed down? (When) will it (ever) open up again?
Guess for answers, I need at least another bottle :-).
Vintages 6th flight: 1994-1995-1996-2000-2003
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11/29/2013 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional dinner group; TOP Bordeaux 1994: Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with red fruits, beautifully integrated oak, forest floor and a touch of pleasant barnyard. All the impressions com back on the palate, some dark forest fruits as well, pleasant acidity and soft tannin. Good length. A beautiful, luxurious and elegant wine. Completely ready now and no real hurry.
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5/25/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind: Intensive red color. Red berries and hints of leather and Earl. Grey tea. The wine has a nice sweetness and is very present, elegant and balanced. A beautifully aged wine that its at a wonderful drinking stage now. This is my best bottle so far.
In the series of the Angelus 94, Figeac 90, and Leoville Las Cases 1998 my favorite wine.
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10/4/2012 - Wine_lvr wrote: 91 Points
Intensive red. Barn, leather, and rasberry flavor with a hint of coffee. Very smooth, tannic and well integrated acid. Plum, rasperry. Long in the finish. Drink throgh 2030
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5/27/2012 - Javachip wrote: 92 Points
Fill into neck. Allowed to breathe in bottle two hours before serving. Clear medium ruby-blood color with brick red at the rim. Bouquet of leafy blackberries, tobacco, leather, graphite, hint of green bell pepper. Similar on the palate, medium body, silky and seamless, with excellent balance. Great success for the vintage.
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4/17/2012 - Gobi wrote: 94 Points
A dark wine with ruby red rims, almost showing no age on the eye. The aromas are quite intense but most importantly very memorable. There's an initial burst of sweet tobacco, leather, blackberries, sour cherries, cassis, violets, cocoa powder, smoke, cedar, and crushed stones. As the wine enters the palate it is quite dense but not heavy. It is flavor intense with a rich array of sweet red and black fruits on the attack, following into a dark chocolate meets espresso mid-palate, with a long finish filled with a slight hint of mint and mineral notes. A wine with great structure, intensity of flavors, refreshing acidity, however it lacks balance between the fruit and acidity.
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11/24/2011 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
A Vintage Run, 1994, 1995, 1996 Bordeaux, with Rebecca Lamont (Berry Bros & Rudd, London): Tasted blind.
Fruit on the nose still primary. Full, rich round wine with a long finish. Lots of elegance. A touch of a dry palate. Very elegant with leathery, cedar notes. Complete and very very good 93-94 and in a very good place
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8/31/2010 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Nice bouquet with a lot of ripe red fruits, cassis and plum. On the palate earthy impressions and a firm amount of bitterness. The tannin is a bit harsh. Possibly more cellaring time will help, but really great this wine will never be. I may sound a bit negative, but this is surely a great wine, but just not of the style and class you might expect.
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5/6/2010 - DonWinspear wrote: 91 Points
Surprisingly delicate and subtle. A nice expression of merlot. This is not your typical bordeaux with 15+ years on it. Not quite the body one might expect. But, having said that, I can say that I enjoyed the ligh structure, fruity approach of this wine. There is no focus on terroir, but rather one of lighter berries, hints of tobacco and cocoa. But nothing that makes you sit back and go, "whoa." Enjoyed with sea bass, not beef - a great pairing.
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4/30/2010 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
1st Gro(w)th Nite at PRIMAs (PRIMA, Walnut Creek): nose -black tea, herbs
mouth - mid to full bodied, light red fruit and herbs on the attack followed by a coffee midpalate. Well balanced, but nothing overly powerful here. In some ways reminiscent of a digestif.
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3/20/2010 - vinojones wrote: 91 Points
thinner than it should be
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12/27/2009 - Zafran72 wrote: 82 Points
Disappointing for a wine of this class, even in a poor vintage like 94. Flat texture, with only hints of the complexity and raciness that should characterize this wine. May have been closed, but my guess is that this wine has exceeded its lifespan already.
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8/4/2009 - french16 wrote: 92 Points
Elegant nose with smoy, cedar, fresh ed fruits and a touch of mint and spices.. Still quite firm tannins, a touch plummy on the palate with cherry and cassis along again spices and mint. Finish is long.
Overall I really enjoyed this CB for its balance and finish.
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9/1/2008 - noppakit s. wrote: 91 Points
Still young but nice aroma and bouquet, seductive nose of Cheval Blanc. Almost full-bodied, tannic and aggressive in a good way, delicious with passion. I love the style of Bordeaux 1994, 99% of them makes me happy...the vintage's charming !! Very nice finished too.
Drink 2010 -2030..............91-92/100.................
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7/1/2007 - the godfather wrote: 91 Points
My first Cheval, really nice nose, too many wines tonight for deatiled notes
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4/21/2007 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Académie des Cinquante Saint-Emilion Tasting (De Echoput, Hoog Soeren, Netherlands): Perfumed, fruits de bois, a bit lactic, beautifully layered, nice tannins, shows the quality of its terroir, charming but not a great year.
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3/7/2007 - asiabear wrote: 91 Points
Lunch at Le Gavroche with CO and DF. Opened and decanted for a twenty minutes. More decanting time might help. Good strong color with perhaps a hint of brown at the edge. A surprisingly strong nose. This was touted as a bit of a "sleeper" wine by CO who felt it punched above its fighting weight considering the vintage. Tasted with braised lamb shoulder and cheese and it worked well as a pairing. Slight peppery note and an earthy sense-- good strong claret and a nice finish. This is a good wine with food. I can imagine that others who tasted it on its own felt it was not as impressive as a claret qua claret but it works well at a meal. Perfectly well balanced just not a blockbuster.
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1/24/2007 - PhDP wrote: 86 Points
Bordeaux 1994 (groupe du mercredi, Bruxelles, Belgium, chez MC): Note moyenne du groupe: 15,9/20
Nez torréfié, café, élégant
Bouche harmonieuse, savoureuse, mais assez courte, un peu passe-partout.
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12/21/2006 - sbeeks wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. Drank with Ron on the plane from Minneapolis. Never opened up. Flat on the nose.
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4/30/2006 - MikeWylde wrote:
A great bottle of wine from a less than stellar vintage. Smells of classic bordeaux nose with notes of gruyere cheese. Pleasant, jammy fruit in abundance. Lengthy finish of no less than 30 secs. Wine is still quite tannic and would certainly benefit from more cellar time. Although it held up well over the course of a 2 hour meal (+1 hr in decanter) , by the end of the night it was starting to fade in the glass.
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1/7/2006 - Fatty Cat wrote: 95 Points
Early Jan 2006: rubin color; intense and complex bouquet of red berries, cherries, peppermint, cedar and dark chocolate; full body; like a port wine with a touch of acidity on the palate.
Sensational nose and an excellent mouth feeling.
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11/27/2004 - Eric wrote: 90 Points
Wine with friends (Seattle, WA, USA): This was Karl's bottle. At first this smelled purely of espresso and scorchy earth, but with 90 minutes of air it relented. Notes of caramel and still frsh wood wafted among the roasted coffee. On the palate this was delicious, smooth, exotic and spicy.
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10/3/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 90 Points
Ruby red colour, Smells quite jammy with pudding notes peeking through. Strong and a little bit astringent in taste. Maybe this wine is a little bit stemmy and weedy. With some air the wine develops a somewhat sweet flavour profile of pipe tobacco. Seems to lack a bit of stuffing. My score is probably too high.
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12/8/1996 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Beautiful wine, creamy, spicy, concentrated. Not as good as the wines from the left bank of this vintage, but it will need a lot of time as well.
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11/2/1996 - danstrings wrote: 92 Points
One of my first Bordeaux tasted, UC Berkeley Extension class 1996. It sure seduced me, with chocolate, cherry, vanilla, finesse, long aftertaste, minerally, buttery oak.
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