| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Powerful, intense, voluptuous Cheval Blanc that is the best Bordeaux red from this vintage. The wine is complete with a mix of herbs, blackberry, plum and hint of black truffle. Palate explodes with flavor without any heaviness or effort - seamless from the beginning to the end. Persistent finish that lingers for more than 20 seconds.
This looked so much older than the 2005, and it also smelt fresher than it. But very deep crimson and still blackish in the middle. Wonderful heady, complex aroma. Sweet start and utterly transparent. Lovely. Haunting. Neat tannins well melded. Beautiful for current and future drinking.
Continuing to improve, here, you find everything great about Cheval Blanc. Silky, sensuous, and complex, the wine kicks off with its display of flowers, cherries, mint, and blue fruit. The palate is opulent, lifted, and elegant, finishing with layers of polished, velvety fruits. There is no better deal for a Cheval Blanc with age in the market today.
The 2001 Château Cheval Blanc was pure silk—not the biggest wine, by any means—but elegant, with a velvety texture, medium body and beautiful fruit that has reached full maturity. Drink it over the next decade.
Fifty percent of the crop made it into the 2001 Cheval Blanc which includes an unusually high percentage of Merlot (60%, along with 40% Cabernet Franc). As administrator Pierre Lurton told me, it was a year where the vines had to be extensively pruned, so yields were kept low. The Cabernet Franc vineyards produced 32 hectoliters per hectare, and the Merlot vineyards, 39 hectolitres per hectare. The cool September weather resulted in late harvest for this estate. The 2001 has a lot in common with the 1999 and 1988. Its opaque ruby/purple color is accompanied by a sweet bouquet of menthol, ripe black currant, plum, and cherry fruit, and an intriguing mineral characteristic. The wine is medium bodied, with wonderful sweetness and putiry, good definition, a layered texture, and sweet tannin in the finish. It will not make anyone forget the prodigious 2000 or the increasingly impressive 1998, but it is fruit-driven, dense effort with abundant qualities of vibrant acidity. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030. Last tasted, 1/03.
At nearly ten years of age, the Cheval ’01 has impressive precision on the nose with the Cabernet Franc component beginning to make its presence felt. The succulent black fruit now contend with herbaceous, dried meat scents with just a touch of truffle. The palate is full-bodied with good intensity. Ripe, dusky tannins, still quite closed with a structure, graphite tinged finish, and it shows very fine poise if not the complexity of a top class Cheval Blanc. Give it another 3-4 years.
