From half bottle at La Tour Argent. Useful but quite closed for the first hour. Over the next two hours this opened slightly, but was still not nearly as expressive as I recalled the bottle 10 years ago. I overpaid for this experience tonight, but it was good to revisit. I suppose.
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A Fourcaud Laussac bottling. This was an immense bottle of wine. Highly complex, ever evolving, a still intriguing sweetness to balance all the tertiary aromas, lots of life and tension and a perfect harmony. This was Bordeaux at its best and classically shaped despite the warmer year. I’ve had this vintage before (Chateau bottling) and while very good (95pts), this was lightyears ahead in terms of layerdness and precision. This was the consensus WOTN although my vote goes to the Vandermeulen Chambertin 1947 (99pts) due to the slightly better nose. On the palate, however, this was clear perfection. This is 98/99pts.
TN: Impressive, dense bouquet displaying layers of dark fruit, animalic, truffles, tobacco and minerality. Very intriguing and complete but the palate is, what makes this wine so outstanding: Lots of concentration. Ever changing, unbelievably complex aroma profile of riper dark berries, fresh red berries, dark red berries, loads of tobacco and truffle, layers of mushroom, earthy and minerality notes, some smoke and bbq notes and with time hints minty notes and herbs and here and there a tiny waft of brett. All the earthiness and tertiary notes are so well balanced by an intriguing, pure fruit sweetness helped with hints of honey. Lots of tension and an intact tannic structure without any hard edges, beautifully integrated, fresh and harmonious, light and airy but with good concentration from start to the long finish.
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A negociant bottling lunch: From an impeccably stored Fourcaud Laussac bottling. Fourcaud Laussac were a Bordeaux based negociant and at the time the owners (or at least related to the owners) of Cheval Blanc. It is incredible how this wine can appear so young, yet have the complexity of a fully mature wine. Red berries, some floral notes, dense, fresh but still opulent. A stunner!
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La Tache in Tuscon: Roger dug deep for this legend, and it delivered. A beautiful old bottle, which once again shows why we age Bordeaux. Beguiling and quite a treat.
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From my cellar...legendary wine....a treat to drink a 70 year old wine. Deep, deep dark brownish garnet. Very youthful, for such an old wine. Big cigar box, earthy, plum notes....still fruit. smooth, soft tanninswith good balance and sweet finish.
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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: Good fill level (neck). At first there was some fizz and some gave up as the wine finished its malo. It needed a bit of unconventional swirling to get rid of the fizz and dive into the pure wine experience and what an experience it was. Like a well-aged Burgundy the nose shows stems, great terroir expression with wet earth and wet gravel/flint, a sexy component with some burnt sugar. Lots of sweet red fruit, coffee, burnt sugar, some stems on the palate. Fresh, soft, highly elegant and with good length. This wine in this condition easily deserves 95 points.
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Chateau Cheval Blanc - 30 year vertical (1949-2015) tasted blind: This was very particular to say the least. Full of Co2 like a sparkling wine at the start. After shaking it out, a wonderful wine actually appeared. Lots of red fruit, raspberry, tertiary animalic notes as well, sweet spices, like a CdP Reserve from Pegau from a light vintage almost or a ripe California Pinot. Very good complexity. How do you score such an encounter? Don’t know but my pleasure score was clearly 95+.
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I know there are legendary bottles of this around, I remember one about 15 years ago, but this specific bottle was not showing its true depth. The fruit was ripe, generous, plummy, earthy, floral and leaf-filled. The texture offered depth, silk and an exotic mouth-feel, but the wine ended a bit too quickly. Still, any bottle of Cheval Blanc is more than a treat, and when you factor in that this was 70 years old, it was an amazing treat!
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In magnum.Not in good condition. The nose displayed a port-like nose which resembled the 47 Cheval Blanc I had earlier this year. Palate was funky, dirty and herbal.
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From a 375ml popped & poured for my dear friend’s 70th DDLM. The real deal, a true wow wine. Unreal aromas of dried violets, forest floor, and dark spices. Smooth and rich dried succulent red fruits with unbelievable balance and length. Tannins are resolved, however nice acid backbone provides lively balance. A complete wine bordering on perfection. One of the true greats.
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47CB and Friends (3030 Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): A recent purchase, level mid shoulder. It looks genuine. Upon removing the capsule, it revealed that the cork had fallen into the bottle. The liquid was brown. Powerful aroma of oxidized apple and cognac. I summoned up my courage and took a sip. It’s actually pretty good - for a mild cognac. Surprisingly, almost half the bottle was gone by the end of the night, so my guests were either very curious or just liked it anyway.
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Not a perfect bottle of this wine as it seemed way more aged than my last taste of it. Nevertheless it was highly drinkable with a classic Cheval texture of plushness and silk. Lots of aged chocolate and coffee flavors with notes of cloves and minerals.
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Sometimes I'm underwhelmed by youngish Cheval but wines like this remind you what the point is. And what a point it makes; an absolutely ravishing, enthralling nose that takes a full 45-60 minutes in the decanter to unwind and expand fully. Starts off very oxblood and rust-dominated, but eventually makes the transition into a plummy fruit profile with a dazzling array of Cheval spices and truffles added to the oxblood base. Subtle top-notes of violet, ganache, mint, and cedar complete this. Still rather hard on the palate, but it is a wine of another era. Long, spicy finish. Just grand. Perfect with beef and Perigord truffles. I could drink this every night. 97-98
Leaner and not nearly as complex as the '61 or '45 but it has such an alluring flavor of black truffle and such a silky texture that it was easy to fall in love with. Finishes crisp with firm acidity. More classic aged claret and just delicious. Intimate dinner for 8 with Pierre Lurton in the rotunda on the roof at Nomad, NYC
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Rare Wine Dinners: Bordeaux 1921-1975 (Bentley Restaurant, private dining room): Negotiant bottling. Perfume here reminds of roses and sweet black berry fruit. Palate is wonderfully lush - sweet notes, resolved tannins, elegance with intensity. Tea-like fragrances and tannins on the finish. Over the next 10-20 minutes it evolved in the glass. Showed some complexities like bacon fat, truffle, leather and capsicum. Fantastic experience.
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Just spectacular. Deep and refined. Blackberry and marionberry, dark and damp earth, black truffle, roasted game and tar on the nose. The palate also brings black plum, white pepper and charcoal. The Cab Franc is very much apparent on the palate. Strong acid core and a soothing sweetiness to the backpalate. The black truffle provides wonderful depth to the palate throughout. Far superior to the bottle of five months ago. 30 minute decant.
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Seemed like a sound bottle but lacked intensity compared to the '61 Figeac and the '55 La Mission drunk alongside. The fruit is sweet and decadent with flavors of black plums and dark spices. Ethereal and lovely with a soft finish that is mildly complex with notes of minerals and fine earth. Seems past its best and based on its reputation, this must be a slightly affected bottle. At Latour, Crystal Springs, NJ
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Dirty and funky on the initial nose. Dark spice, sweetness, light mushroom and then a black olive backnose. Surprising sweetness on the palate with a musty finish. Overall an appealing wine but lacks depth of flavors to be a great wine.
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A wine worthy of writing about. My last of these and considering the holiday, a worthy cork to pop. It doesn't disappoint. The fruit is still surprisingly lively given it's age and the tertiary aromas of leather, sweet red fruit and and tobacco explode from the glass. Perfectly integrated with a ton of life left. Once again this wine proves to be one of the finest Bordeaux's ever made.
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Off the charts. This was so good and firing on all cylinders from the nose to the palate, no flaws with this bottle. This might make me want to drink more Bordeaux.
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HDH Dinner (Les Nomades): Wow. You could smell this from across the table. Beautifully sweet red and dark fruit, violet, mushrooms, musty oak and iron. The palate was sweet and ripe and forward. Stunning balance and I could not get over how youthful this seemed. The other bottle was not as fresh, but this seemed younger than the 1990 we had last week. Finish lasted forever and was perfectly seamless. What a treat and thank you to all those that controlled themselves for 65 years so we could have this tonight.
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Østkantsmaking: Dyp, dyp mørksvart rød med innslag av brunoransje. Aldeles nydelig sødmefull, parfymert nese av mørke bær, fiken og jord. Bløt og tett frukt med en saftig og ubegripelig ung karakter. Frisk syre. Tørre tanniner i avslutningen og fantastisk lengde. Kan fremdeles lagres lenge. 96/97 P
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From half bottle. Simply put....the single finest bottle of BDX I've ever tasted. No decant. Cloudy crimson with very little bricking. Sweet red fruit, tobacco and a touch of orange rind on the nose. Velvet tannins with sweet fruit that fattened with time in the glass. Liquid gold. Simply stunning.
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1949 Cheval Blanc explodes with complex aromatics the moment the cork is gently pulled from the clutches of the bottle. Crushed stone, truffle, tobacco, smoke, cherry blossoms, cigar box, 5 spice and melted cherries are the first things you sense. This wine is all about the fragrance and texture. The mouth feel, shaped by the patina of 6 decades of aging is pure silk and velvet. This delicate St. Emilion ends with spicy, sweet, earthy cherries, herbs and strawberry. This was my second time tasting '49 Cheval Blanc. The previous bottle was a much better tasting experience. You know what they say, with time, there is no such thing as a great wine, just great bottles. While this bottle might not have been great, it was good and I was honored to have tasted it.
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30th Birthday Dinner #2 (Town House, Chilhowie VA): From half bottle that was recorked 10/10/79. Popped and poured. Dried cherries, cocoa, bits of truffle and smoke on the nose with some crushed stone as well. Many of the same notes on the palate, but slightly leaner than I hoped. Lighter bodied palate with a moderate finish. Enjoyable, but not the best of these 375mls I've had. Acidity was more in check with this particular bottle.
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per se dinner - the nose shows great transparency and vibrancy. On the palate, it is not as interesting as it is showing more gray hairs but still retains great sophistication.
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From two separate 375ml bottles. Both recorked on 10/10/79.
#1: Low shoulder fill. Reddish brown color, slightly muddy. Decaying fruits on the nose with oxidation. Acidic palate with a slight bit of red fruit remaining.
#2: Fill into the neck. Color was much better on this bottle; a brickish red. Not powerful aromatics, but some red fruit, some cocoa, and a bit of tobacco creeping through. Palate was very lean and a bit too much acid on the finish.
Fun to try side by side, but as psmith stated below, neither was close to the 375ml consumed on 7/25. Fill on that botle was at the base of the neck.
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Phil's B-Day; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago): Last wine served after a crazy wine weekend, and fittingly so. sweet sappy red fruits with chocolate, and some spicy and toasted oak. This was still really alive for a 375. Very silky texture and a pure seductive nose and mid palate. A great way to end a crazy week.
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A Weekend of Excess; 7/24/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago/Northbrook, IL): From half bottle. Sweet fruit on the nose with some tobacco and a bit of tomato leaf. A touch of wood spice. Great structured palate with great fruit. Some dried cherry and cranberry. A great finish. A wonderul wine. Shockingly young; served blind to multiple wine people who initially guessed an '82.
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Birthday Weekend; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicagoland): From half-bottle. Surprisingly alive and fruit forward. Red fruits, dark chocolate, and a tobacco-leaf undercurrent. Great balance; no seams. Enough structure remaining to keep things vibrant and alive. Stellar wine that could pass for 30+ years younger.
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Masa's Cheval blanc dinner. This was a stunning wine. So silky, so smooth, so sweet, so fresh, so clear, so almost perfect. Only thing it lacked was a very expressive nose. Beautiful!!!!!
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Reddish brown in the glass with an orange rim. Scents of camphor, mint spice, and burnt sugar coming out of the glass. In the mouth the wine had excellent weight, good impact on the palate, layers of complexity and a well-maintained structure with a precise delivery and excellent definition. The flavours ranged from raisins to figs to all kinds of spices, and the finish was balanced and pleasant.
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Deep, dark red colour. Rhubarb, strawberry, and other jammy qualities on the nose. After a few minutes a deliciously delicate scent of mushrooms appeared. Intense, concentrated and dense in flavour. This is liquid Valrhôna chocolate! Strong, large bodied and hugely scaled, yet elegant, classy and complex - this has to be as close to 100 points as possible. My score is probably conservative.
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(Louis Eschenauer bottling) Dark red colour with narrow fade. Quite roasted and displaying notes of gun powder. The wine is dense, concentrated, structured and well defined. There are many nuances to pick out, and the wine is completely resolved and ready to drink. Unfortunately it gets a bit watery and thin on the finish.
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3/24/2024 - Marc C wrote: flawed
Highly oxidized unfortunately !
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3/1/2024 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
From half bottle at La Tour Argent. Useful but quite closed for the first hour. Over the next two hours this opened slightly, but was still not nearly as expressive as I recalled the bottle 10 years ago. I overpaid for this experience tonight, but it was good to revisit. I suppose.
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7/13/2023 - Benoit Hardy wrote: flawed
Vandermeulen bottling. Flat wine, of little interest unless you are a blissful gerontophile.
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4/22/2023 - Cailles wrote: 99 Points
A Fourcaud Laussac bottling. This was an immense bottle of wine. Highly complex, ever evolving, a still intriguing sweetness to balance all the tertiary aromas, lots of life and tension and a perfect harmony. This was Bordeaux at its best and classically shaped despite the warmer year. I’ve had this vintage before (Chateau bottling) and while very good (95pts), this was lightyears ahead in terms of layerdness and precision. This was the consensus WOTN although my vote goes to the Vandermeulen Chambertin 1947 (99pts) due to the slightly better nose. On the palate, however, this was clear perfection. This is 98/99pts.
TN: Impressive, dense bouquet displaying layers of dark fruit, animalic, truffles, tobacco and minerality. Very intriguing and complete but the palate is, what makes this wine so outstanding: Lots of concentration. Ever changing, unbelievably complex aroma profile of riper dark berries, fresh red berries, dark red berries, loads of tobacco and truffle, layers of mushroom, earthy and minerality notes, some smoke and bbq notes and with time hints minty notes and herbs and here and there a tiny waft of brett. All the earthiness and tertiary notes are so well balanced by an intriguing, pure fruit sweetness helped with hints of honey. Lots of tension and an intact tannic structure without any hard edges, beautifully integrated, fresh and harmonious, light and airy but with good concentration from start to the long finish.
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4/2/2023 - G_H wrote: 100 Points
A negociant bottling lunch: From an impeccably stored Fourcaud Laussac bottling. Fourcaud Laussac were a Bordeaux based negociant and at the time the owners (or at least related to the owners) of Cheval Blanc. It is incredible how this wine can appear so young, yet have the complexity of a fully mature wine. Red berries, some floral notes, dense, fresh but still opulent. A stunner!
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12/18/2021 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Very interesting and somewhat tasty. There's still freshness and sweetness here with heavy dose of leather and tobacco.
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1/19/2020 - BradE wrote:
La Tache in Tuscon: Roger dug deep for this legend, and it delivered. A beautiful old bottle, which once again shows why we age Bordeaux. Beguiling and quite a treat.
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1/18/2020 - rnellans wrote: 95 Points
From my cellar...legendary wine....a treat to drink a 70 year old wine. Deep, deep dark brownish garnet. Very youthful, for such an old wine. Big cigar box, earthy, plum notes....still fruit. smooth, soft tanninswith good balance and sweet finish.
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12/16/2019 - Cailles wrote: 95 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: Good fill level (neck). At first there was some fizz and some gave up as the wine finished its malo. It needed a bit of unconventional swirling to get rid of the fizz and dive into the pure wine experience and what an experience it was. Like a well-aged Burgundy the nose shows stems, great terroir expression with wet earth and wet gravel/flint, a sexy component with some burnt sugar. Lots of sweet red fruit, coffee, burnt sugar, some stems on the palate. Fresh, soft, highly elegant and with good length. This wine in this condition easily deserves 95 points.
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11/29/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Chateau Cheval Blanc - 30 year vertical (1949-2015) tasted blind: This was very particular to say the least. Full of Co2 like a sparkling wine at the start. After shaking it out, a wonderful wine actually appeared. Lots of red fruit, raspberry, tertiary animalic notes as well, sweet spices, like a CdP Reserve from Pegau from a light vintage almost or a ripe California Pinot. Very good complexity. How do you score such an encounter? Don’t know but my pleasure score was clearly 95+.
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8/15/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
I know there are legendary bottles of this around, I remember one about 15 years ago, but this specific bottle was not showing its true depth. The fruit was ripe, generous, plummy, earthy, floral and leaf-filled. The texture offered depth, silk and an exotic mouth-feel, but the wine ended a bit too quickly. Still, any bottle of Cheval Blanc is more than a treat, and when you factor in that this was 70 years old, it was an amazing treat!
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6/21/2019 - Burgnick wrote:
In magnum.Not in good condition. The nose displayed a port-like nose which resembled the 47 Cheval Blanc I had earlier this year. Palate was funky, dirty and herbal.
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6/1/2019 - G_H wrote: 93 Points
Cheval Blanc Vertical ‘Chez Elke’ (Hotel Hohenzollern, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler): Figs, balsamic, dried figs, mushrooms, a tad too much acidity
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6/1/2019 - hartmarco Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very turpid color. Interesting nose of button mushrooms and dried figs with a nice balance on the palate.
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5/8/2019 - KenK wrote: 98 Points
From a 375ml popped & poured for my dear friend’s 70th DDLM. The real deal, a true wow wine. Unreal aromas of dried violets, forest floor, and dark spices. Smooth and rich dried succulent red fruits with unbelievable balance and length. Tannins are resolved, however nice acid backbone provides lively balance. A complete wine bordering on perfection. One of the true greats.
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3/26/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 98 Points
An Evening of Vinous Merriment and Majesty Among Friends (Craft, New York): A phenomenal bottle. Amazing nose of smokiness and flint. Lots of fresh fruit and complexity. A slightly lighter body than the '45 and '47 tasted alongside.
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2/16/2019 - sdr wrote: flawed
47CB and Friends (3030 Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): A recent purchase, level mid shoulder. It looks genuine. Upon removing the capsule, it revealed that the cork had fallen into the bottle. The liquid was brown. Powerful aroma of oxidized apple and cognac. I summoned up my courage and took a sip. It’s actually pretty good - for a mild cognac. Surprisingly, almost half the bottle was gone by the end of the night, so my guests were either very curious or just liked it anyway.
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10/5/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep and rich. Could have used another decade in the bottle.
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10/3/2018 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Duos, Trios and Quartets Among Friends (Ai Fiori Restaurant, NYC): Lots of mint and menthol. Feels nearly over the hill but just holding it together.
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10/3/2018 - dream wrote: 91 Points
Not a perfect bottle of this wine as it seemed way more aged than my last taste of it. Nevertheless it was highly drinkable with a classic Cheval texture of plushness and silk. Lots of aged chocolate and coffee flavors with notes of cloves and minerals.
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12/30/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 98 Points
Sometimes I'm underwhelmed by youngish Cheval but wines like this remind you what the point is. And what a point it makes; an absolutely ravishing, enthralling nose that takes a full 45-60 minutes in the decanter to unwind and expand fully. Starts off very oxblood and rust-dominated, but eventually makes the transition into a plummy fruit profile with a dazzling array of Cheval spices and truffles added to the oxblood base. Subtle top-notes of violet, ganache, mint, and cedar complete this. Still rather hard on the palate, but it is a wine of another era. Long, spicy finish. Just grand. Perfect with beef and Perigord truffles. I could drink this every night. 97-98
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3/24/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Leaner and not nearly as complex as the '61 or '45 but it has such an alluring flavor of black truffle and such a silky texture that it was easy to fall in love with. Finishes crisp with firm acidity. More classic aged claret and just delicious. Intimate dinner for 8 with Pierre Lurton in the rotunda on the roof at Nomad, NYC
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2/27/2016 - fizz wrote:
Rare Wine Dinners: Bordeaux 1921-1975 (Bentley Restaurant, private dining room): Negotiant bottling. Perfume here reminds of roses and sweet black berry fruit. Palate is wonderfully lush - sweet notes, resolved tannins, elegance with intensity. Tea-like fragrances and tannins on the finish. Over the next 10-20 minutes it evolved in the glass. Showed some complexities like bacon fat, truffle, leather and capsicum. Fantastic experience.
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8/5/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 99 Points
Just spectacular. Deep and refined. Blackberry and marionberry, dark and damp earth, black truffle, roasted game and tar on the nose. The palate also brings black plum, white pepper and charcoal. The Cab Franc is very much apparent on the palate. Strong acid core and a soothing sweetiness to the backpalate. The black truffle provides wonderful depth to the palate throughout. Far superior to the bottle of five months ago. 30 minute decant.
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3/27/2015 - dream wrote: 92 Points
Seemed like a sound bottle but lacked intensity compared to the '61 Figeac and the '55 La Mission drunk alongside. The fruit is sweet and decadent with flavors of black plums and dark spices. Ethereal and lovely with a soft finish that is mildly complex with notes of minerals and fine earth. Seems past its best and based on its reputation, this must be a slightly affected bottle. At Latour, Crystal Springs, NJ
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3/26/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dirty and funky on the initial nose. Dark spice, sweetness, light mushroom and then a black olive backnose. Surprising sweetness on the palate with a musty finish. Overall an appealing wine but lacks depth of flavors to be a great wine.
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11/26/2014 - thenapalist wrote: 100 Points
A wine worthy of writing about. My last of these and considering the holiday, a worthy cork to pop. It doesn't disappoint. The fruit is still surprisingly lively given it's age and the tertiary aromas of leather, sweet red fruit and and tobacco explode from the glass. Perfectly integrated with a ton of life left. Once again this wine proves to be one of the finest Bordeaux's ever made.
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2/19/2014 - Le Musigny wrote:
Off the charts. This was so good and firing on all cylinders from the nose to the palate, no flaws with this bottle. This might make me want to drink more Bordeaux.
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2/15/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 99 Points
HDH Dinner (Les Nomades): Wow. You could smell this from across the table. Beautifully sweet red and dark fruit, violet, mushrooms, musty oak and iron. The palate was sweet and ripe and forward. Stunning balance and I could not get over how youthful this seemed. The other bottle was not as fresh, but this seemed younger than the 1990 we had last week. Finish lasted forever and was perfectly seamless. What a treat and thank you to all those that controlled themselves for 65 years so we could have this tonight.
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12/20/2013 - Le Musigny wrote: flawed
corked
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9/7/2012 - -E- wrote: 96 Points
Østkantsmaking: Dyp, dyp mørksvart rød med innslag av brunoransje. Aldeles nydelig sødmefull, parfymert nese av mørke bær, fiken og jord. Bløt og tett frukt med en saftig og ubegripelig ung karakter. Frisk syre. Tørre tanniner i avslutningen og fantastisk lengde. Kan fremdeles lagres lenge. 96/97 P
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9/7/2012 - LWI wrote: 99 Points
Seven Decades of Right Bank Wines (Trondheim, Norway (my house)): Mid shoulder fill. At first somewhat unclean and volatile on the nose, which blew off. Fantastic depth and complexity, very long, fresh and structured, lots of power, some sweetness.
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6/27/2012 - thenapalist wrote: 100 Points
From half bottle. Simply put....the single finest bottle of BDX I've ever tasted. No decant. Cloudy crimson with very little bricking. Sweet red fruit, tobacco and a touch of orange rind on the nose. Velvet tannins with sweet fruit that fattened with time in the glass. Liquid gold. Simply stunning.
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8/6/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
1949 Cheval Blanc explodes with complex aromatics the moment the cork is gently pulled from the clutches of the bottle. Crushed stone, truffle, tobacco, smoke, cherry blossoms, cigar box, 5 spice and melted cherries are the first things you sense. This wine is all about the fragrance and texture. The mouth feel, shaped by the patina of 6 decades of aging is pure silk and velvet. This delicate St. Emilion ends with spicy, sweet, earthy cherries, herbs and strawberry. This was my second time tasting '49 Cheval Blanc. The previous bottle was a much better tasting experience. You know what they say, with time, there is no such thing as a great wine, just great bottles. While this bottle might not have been great, it was good and I was honored to have tasted it.
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8/2/2011 - MatthewF wrote:
30th Birthday Dinner #2 (Town House, Chilhowie VA): From half bottle that was recorked 10/10/79. Popped and poured. Dried cherries, cocoa, bits of truffle and smoke on the nose with some crushed stone as well. Many of the same notes on the palate, but slightly leaner than I hoped. Lighter bodied palate with a moderate finish. Enjoyable, but not the best of these 375mls I've had. Acidity was more in check with this particular bottle.
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7/13/2011 - Le Musigny wrote:
Awesome bottle. High shoulder, Great color, nose and palate.
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4/16/2011 - psmith wrote:
From 375mL. Tea notes. Chocolate hints and old red fruits. Resolved. Lighter. Not as enjoyable as previous bottles, but ok.
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2/26/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 94 Points
per se dinner - the nose shows great transparency and vibrancy. On the palate, it is not as interesting as it is showing more gray hairs but still retains great sophistication.
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8/29/2009 - MatthewF wrote:
From two separate 375ml bottles. Both recorked on 10/10/79.
#1: Low shoulder fill. Reddish brown color, slightly muddy. Decaying fruits on the nose with oxidation. Acidic palate with a slight bit of red fruit remaining.
#2: Fill into the neck. Color was much better on this bottle; a brickish red. Not powerful aromatics, but some red fruit, some cocoa, and a bit of tobacco creeping through. Palate was very lean and a bit too much acid on the finish.
Fun to try side by side, but as psmith stated below, neither was close to the 375ml consumed on 7/25. Fill on that botle was at the base of the neck.
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8/29/2009 - psmith wrote:
From two 375mLs enjoyed next to each other. Both reconditioned on 10/10/79.
One bottle was more amber in color, with band aid, burnt maple sugar, and bacon fat notes. Well resolved, but a bit old.
Second bottle was much more alive with strawberry red fruits and tobacco, but still some older flavors creeping through. Resolved. Very enjoyable.
Neither bottle was close to the 7/25 bottle.
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7/25/2009 - zimmy07 wrote:
Phil's B-Day; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago): Last wine served after a crazy wine weekend, and fittingly so. sweet sappy red fruits with chocolate, and some spicy and toasted oak. This was still really alive for a 375. Very silky texture and a pure seductive nose and mid palate. A great way to end a crazy week.
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7/25/2009 - MatthewF wrote:
A Weekend of Excess; 7/24/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicago/Northbrook, IL): From half bottle. Sweet fruit on the nose with some tobacco and a bit of tomato leaf. A touch of wood spice. Great structured palate with great fruit. Some dried cherry and cranberry. A great finish. A wonderul wine. Shockingly young; served blind to multiple wine people who initially guessed an '82.
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7/25/2009 - psmith wrote:
Birthday Weekend; 7/23/2009-7/25/2009 (Chicagoland): From half-bottle. Surprisingly alive and fruit forward. Red fruits, dark chocolate, and a tobacco-leaf undercurrent. Great balance; no seams. Enough structure remaining to keep things vibrant and alive. Stellar wine that could pass for 30+ years younger.
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2/3/2007 - G SQUARED wrote: 97 Points
Masa's Cheval blanc dinner. This was a stunning wine. So silky, so smooth, so sweet, so fresh, so clear, so almost perfect. Only thing it lacked was a very expressive nose. Beautiful!!!!!
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3/24/2004 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 95 Points
Reddish brown in the glass with an orange rim. Scents of camphor, mint spice, and burnt sugar coming out of the glass. In the mouth the wine had excellent weight, good impact on the palate, layers of complexity and a well-maintained structure with a precise delivery and excellent definition. The flavours ranged from raisins to figs to all kinds of spices, and the finish was balanced and pleasant.
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10/3/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 99 Points
Deep, dark red colour. Rhubarb, strawberry, and other jammy qualities on the nose. After a few minutes a deliciously delicate scent of mushrooms appeared. Intense, concentrated and dense in flavour. This is liquid Valrhôna chocolate! Strong, large bodied and hugely scaled, yet elegant, classy and complex - this has to be as close to 100 points as possible. My score is probably conservative.
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10/3/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 90 Points
(Louis Eschenauer bottling) Dark red colour with narrow fade. Quite roasted and displaying notes of gun powder. The wine is dense, concentrated, structured and well defined. There are many nuances to pick out, and the wine is completely resolved and ready to drink. Unfortunately it gets a bit watery and thin on the finish.
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