Cheval Blanc 2019

The harvest started on the 10th September with Merlot, which was almost all picked before the rains near the end of September. The last of the Cabernet Franc was picked on 4th October. The resultant wine has an abv of 14.4%. The blend is 58% Merlot, with 34% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Interestingly 2019 was the 4th driest year on record at Cheval Blanc, behind 2005, 2015 and 2010 - all wines with 100 points at this property, and brilliant vintages across Bordeaux. The 2019 is a deep ruby purple colour. Expansive and intense on the nose, full of kirsch, red cherry, violets, graphite and sweet spices. It is impressively perfumed despite undertones of dark, ripe fruits. The palate is perfectly crafted, with velveteen, ripe tannins and fresh acidity coating the mouth to provide ample freshness and structure. At the middle, the fruit is deep, ripe and powerful, with plums, forest fruit and violets bursting through. The oak is perfectly judged, with hints of savoury spices and cedar complementing the intense fruit. The finish is cool, savoury and multi-dimensional. A brilliant effort in 2019 that is very true to Cheval Blanc. Tasted in Bordeaux.

Extremely precise floral and berry aromatics build out of the glass and this sense of construction continues through the palate. On the attack you get a whoosh of powerful blueberry and blackberry, with sage, woodsmoke and crushed stone, all cut cleanly through, exposing juicy minerality and a feel of different elements layering on top of each other. 82% 1st wine in this vintage. Harvest from September 10, picking only in the mornings for two weeks (the only three plots of Merlot that were brought in after the September rains are in Petit Cheval). Biodiversity is blooming at Cheval right now - 40 brebis goats and sheep since October 2019, alongside pigs, 200 Bresse chicken, 40 egg-laying chickens and 16 beehives. They have planted 850 fruit trees this winter among the vines, and no longer work the soils. Less Cabernet Franc in the vineyard until 2022 due to replanting. Drinking Window 2027 - 2044

58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 82% of production. Barrel sample.
Aromatically a little more reserved than the 2018 at this stage. But ripe, intense and flickeringly floral. Beautifully poised on the palate with a density of fruit and silky texture of finely matted tannins. Pure, seductive and persistent, the finish long and digeste. A super Cheval Blanc but 2018 may just have the edge. (JL)
Drink 2027 – 2050