CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC 1er Grand Cru Classe Saint-Emilion 2023 Wooden Case x 3 Bottles - PRE-RELEASE

Description

THE WINE ADVOCATE RP (98-100)
Reviewed by: William Kelley
One of the most profound wines of the vintage is the 2023 Cheval Blanc, a striking wine that stands out for its strong sense of identity and seamless integration at such an early stage in its life. Wafting from the glass with notes of mulberries, lilac, dark fruits, iris root and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with a gourmand core of cool, vibrant fruit that entirely conceals its sweet structuring tannins, concluding with a long, perfumed finish. It's a blend of 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, drawing on fully 46 of the blocks that make up Cheval Blanc, and it attained 13.8% alcohol.

One of Bordeaux's most complex terroirs, Cheval Blanc sits on the site of an ancient river delta, with (to generalize) clay-rich soils in the lower-lying parts where rivulets once flowed and gravel and sand elsewhere. This complexity is reflected, of course, in the resulting wine but also in how it is farmed and made, with thoughtful use of cover crops according to soil type and parcel-by-parcel vinification. A concerted effort is being made, moreover, to bring life back to the vineyard, with hedges of native species to act as wildlife corridors and fruit trees planted among the vines. The same attention to detail that's applied in the vineyards, for example with regard to developing and testing an in-house massal selection, is applied in the cellar, where cooperage trials are notable for their exigence.

The 2023 vintage has turned out superbly at this address; indeed I can't think of any young Cheval Blanc that tasted so integrated and harmonious at so early a stage. Director Pierre-Olivier Clouet described the season as unremarkable in terms of rainfall overall (though thunderstorms in June gave rise to almost tropical conditions that amplified disease pressure), observing that temperatures, while high, were not particularly extreme in the context of the last decade. Flowering was rapid and successful, as at other addresses, and in Cabernet, maturity took its time coming, making for a protracted harvest between September 6 and October 3.

JAMES SUCKLING ***** Score: 98-99 Points
9 Apr, 2024 – This is so cabernet, with blackcurrants, blackberries, crushed stone, graphite and lead pencil. Full-bodied with tight, chewy tannins that remain fine yet energetic. Winemaker Pierre-Olivier Clouet says this wine is a benchmark for Cheval Blanc. Reminds me of the great 1983. 13.8% alcohol. 52% merlot, 46% cabernet franc and 2% cabernet sauvignon.

JANCIS ROBINSON 18 Points
DRINK: 2032 - 2050
52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 40 hl/ha. Cask sample.
Purple hue. Restrained compared with Petit Cheval but dense and beguiling. Bright, fresh and smooth but plenty of punch from a polished but solid tannic core. Abundant fruit. Long. Should hold up well. (JL)

DECANTER 97
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle (at Château Lafleur, 16 Apr 2023) Part of Best St-Emilion 2023 wines tasted en primeur
Drinking Window: 2033 - 2050
Fresh and floral on the nose, cool and crisp aromas. Purple flowers, red and purple berries with crayon, graphite and liquorice. Gorgeous texture on the palate, this has grip and bite, tannins are present and quite imposing, really coating the mouth with a powdery, chalkiness. It has some layers of tannin and ripe fruit but with freshness and lift all the way through. It’s not immediately charming and generous, it’s more controlled, but not strict. Fresh, clean, precise with style and finesse and this packs more power than some. Raspberries, chalky cherries, bright blueberries with wet stones, lots of liquorice and slate. Balanced and containing both warm and cool vintage markers - lots of complexity on offer. It’s missing a touch of that gorgeous charm that Cheval does so well, a sense of enrobing, but it’s very well constructed with lots of personality. The largest ever vintage in the Cheval cellars with a yield of 40hl/ha. 3.82pH.

VINOUS 96-98 points
Neal Martin. Tasting date: April 2024 rom: Bordeaux at the Crossroads: 2023 En Primeur (April 2024)
Drinking window: 2030 - 2060
The 2023 Cheval Blanc is silky, elegant and exceptionally polished. Cabernet Franc is rarely as expressive as it is here. Everything in the 2023 is about detail. All the elements are so well balanced—so integrated. Red/purplish berry fruit, mint, cinnamon, rose petal and blood orange meld together, while seamless tannins wrap it all up in grand style. What a wine.

Cheval Blanc was one of the highlights of my April trip to Bordeaux. The wines are simply captivating. Technical Director Pierre-Olivier Clouet and his team did some passes to trim irregular bunches and open the canopies. Clouet was quite adamant in his view that yields are better managed through pruning than in dropping crop. Harvest ran from September 6 to October 3. Yields were a bountiful 40 hectoliters per hectare. Of the estate's production, 75% is Grand Vin, 10% is Petit Cheval, and 15% was sold in bulk.

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Delivery - Spring or Autumn 2026.
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