Château Cheval Blanc 2018

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

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Jean-Marc Quarin

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VertdeVin

The nose is elegant, racy and offers power (in finesse), delicacy as well as a beautiful fleshy/juicy/well-built fruit. It reveals notes of fleshy/juicy blackberry, pulpy cassis and small notes of violet plum associated with touches of violet, toasted, fleshy wild blueberry, nutmeg, toasted almond, a subtle hint of black cherry, racy minerality and graphite. The palate is fruity, fresh, well-balanced and offers juiciness, a fine acidulous frame, a good freshness, subtility, a beautiful dimension, deepness tension, complexity, finesse, harmony, a very beautiful finesse of the grain as well as elegance. On the palate this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy cassis, juicy blackberry, small notes of violet, chocolate, tonka bean/cocoa, caramelization as well as very fine hints of pencil lead, fig and toasted. A wine just like a square of silk.

Wine Enthusiast

The first thing that strikes about this wine is its massive density. The second is the richness of the structured Cabernet Franc that is such an important element in the blend. Weight is balanced by the intense fruits and amazing freshness of a wine that has such concentration. This wine will age for years. Don't touch it before 2027.

Falstaff

James Suckling

Deep, dense and chocolatey, this is a lush and concentrated St.-Emilion. Enormous depth of fine tannins here, and the lively acidity lifts all this beautifully on the almost opulent palate. Very long, surprisingly supple finish. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2018 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a 3.75 pH and 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling and air to releases fragrant notes of stewed plums, juicy black cherries and ripe blackberries with underlying suggestions of damp soil, black truffles, rose oil and cardamom with wafts of underbrush and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with rich black fruits and loads of earthy accents, framed by super firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness to balance, finishing with amazing length and a beautiful array of floral and mineral sparks. Thirty-three plots contributed to this wine, out of the forty-three in production. Of the rest, five went into Petit Cheval and five into bulk. It will need a good 6-7 years at least to really start to strut its stuff and should cellar for a further 30 years or more.