March 28, 2024 - Ex chateau this is drinking well, but as other 1982s is slightly past its peak. Held for an our ou so and declined after. Great wine.
February 18, 2024 - From a nice looking bottle with a bottom neck fill, this wine had a deep red center and oranging rims. The medim+ intensity nose offered up raspberries, Provencal herbs, figs, minerals, and a hint of nutmeg.
In the mouth, this wine was light, round, and nice for several hours. However, after about 3 hours of air it moved up a notch. It was still very refined and round with light rounded tannin. However, it developed a subtle richness, gained length, and showed additional flavor nuance. In sum, zero edges and lovely flavors.
This was an outstanding wine, especially if you appreciate subtlety. It is certainly ready now but will probably last at this level for a decade or two. Arguably 96 points.
January 23, 2024 - Lovely wine. Fully resolved, seamless. Quite long. At peak to my taste but good bottles should cruise here for years to come.
December 24, 2023 - Gone. Down the drain she goes….🙁
October 22, 2023 - A brilliant bottle. Excellent sweet dark fruit coffee and tobacco.
September 3, 2023 - After 1 hour, the wine faded out quickly, but it rebounded back and showed different phases.
Incredible!
August 20, 2023 - Probably deserved better rating but after 4 days of drinking I didn’t feel well
August 3, 2023 - Incredibly silky wine. Fruit was muted, more dusty and earthy, but there was some juice there. Still a backbone of acidity and tannins even after 40+ years. Outstanding.
July 19, 2023 - Still has some life - elegance and balance but drink up! No complaints for 40+ year old wine!
June 6, 2023 - Recent comments on this wine aren't overly flattering and seem to fit in with what other tasters have said over the years. On release people like Parker gave it a 100pt rating, but a common denominator among others, despite their own high scores on release, suggested that come 2015 it would be well and truly knackered. It appears I have been lucky. Level remained in the neck and on decanting there is no hint of bricking. It doesn't need long in the decanter, 30 mins top whack. The nose is gorgeous, and on the palate it's complex, elegant, remarkably refreshing and has all the usual notes of black fruits, etc and is beautifuuly balanced. Tannins are mellow and the length is persistant. One professional reviewer has described it as "juicy and sexy" and I get their drift. On the down side it's age is showing by the wine beginning to fade in the glass somewhere around the 45 minute mark, so not a wine to dwell on for the evening. The other eyebrow raising moment is it was paired with the '82 La Lagune, which is an extraordinary wine that tasted like a 10-year-old rather than one that is 40-years-old! Cost of the Cheval Blanc, around £1200. Cost of the La Lagune around £140. Given the choice of one bottle of CB or 9 bottles of La Lagune I know what I would go for.