Château Cheval Blanc 2020

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Andreas Larsson - Tasted

Great purity and intensity, layers of fresh dark fruit, plum, cassis, detailed and layered with an extraordinary density and super refined tannins, good notion of freshness and a superbly long finish. Great already and tremendous potential.

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

The bouquet of white, red, and purple flowers is made even better with the addition of Indian spices, red with black fruits, and truffles. However, as good as the nose is, it is on the palate, with its seemingly countless layers of cashmere textured fruits, refined, silky tannins, lift, and energy that steals the show. The wine gently caresses your palate seamlessly for over 60 seconds. This is a monumental Cheval Blanc that will age for decades, yet, it is sexy, and you will be able to enjoy it young. Drink from 2027-2065.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2020 Château Cheval Blanc wafts from the glass with aromas of mulberries, plums and cherries mingled with hints of rose petals, licorice, sweet spices and lilac. Full-bodied, broad and voluptuous, it's layered and fleshy, with a ripe core of fruit, sweet tannins and a long, expansive finish. While purists will gravitate toward the purer and more precise and perfumed 2019, the 2020 will appeal to readers who love the richest, most powerful expressions of Château Cheval Blanc.

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. All of that shows in the glass.

Jeb Dunnuck

The Grand Vin 2020 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that was raised, as always, in 100% new French oak. As usual with Cheval Blanc, it's primarily about finesse and elegance, as well as complexity, and exhibits a deep purple hue as well as a kaleidoscopic bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, spring flowers, spicy incense, loamy earth, and smoke tobacco. Absolutely flawless on the palate, it's full-bodied, has perfectly integrated oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a gorgeous finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This powerful, concentrated Cheval Blanc offers pleasure even today (needs lots of air) but warrants 7-8 years of bottle age and will see its 40th birthday in fine form.

James Suckling

Lots of blueberries and flowers such as violets and crushed stone. This is very structured and muscular with minerally tannins that run the length of the wine. Very closed. Polished texture that gives it class and presence. This is one for the cellar. 65% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2030.