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2000 Château Cheval Blanc St. Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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2000
Château Cheval Blanc  (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
98
Not quite as giving or generous as previous bottles, which is more about this bottle, than the wine, here you find an opulent, rich, luscious wine with all the flowers, herbs, tobacco leaf, black cherry, plum and wet earth you could ask for. Silky and vibrant on the palate, the wine is closing in on maturity, another 5 years should do the trick. Enjoy it for 20-30 years after that.

Not quite as giving or generous as previous bottles, which is more about this bottle, than the wine, here you find an opulent, rich, luscious wine with all the flowers, herbs, tobacco leaf, black cherry, plum and wet earth you could ask for. Silky and vibrant on the palate, the wine is closing in on maturity, another 5 years should do the trick. Enjoy it for 20-30 years after that.

6,585 Views   Tasted
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If you are looking for a sex in the bottle type of wine, look no further. Incredibly sensuous, the texture combines the best elements of silk, cashmere and velvet. The perfectly ripe fruits range from black plums to even darker cherries. On the finish, it all comes together with the added nuances of licorice, plum liqueur, dark chocolate and cherry notes. You can drink this now. But if you really want the wine at its best, give it at least another 7 years or so.

If you are looking for a sex in the bottle type of wine, look no further. Incredibly sensuous, the texture combines the best elements of silk, cashmere and velvet. The perfectly ripe fruits range from black plums to even darker cherries. On the finish, it all comes together with the added nuances of licorice, plum liqueur, dark chocolate and cherry notes. You can drink this now. But if you really want the wine at its best, give it at least another 7 years or so.

7,656 Views   Tasted
What a wine! The perfume, with its floral accented, juicy plums and cherries is singing. The sensuous textures feel great while they longer for close to 60 seconds. There is concentration, depth and excitement here. Still young, patience will add more to this wine in every dimension.

What a wine! The perfume, with its floral accented, juicy plums and cherries is singing. The sensuous textures feel great while they longer for close to 60 seconds. There is concentration, depth and excitement here. Still young, patience will add more to this wine in every dimension.

6,170 Views   Tasted
With a complex perfume consisting of flowers, licorice, black raspberries, spice, incense, smoke, tobacco and roasted cherries, the wine really grabs your focus. As good as that is, the best is yet to come. The wine hits the sensuality button again and again with its purity of fruit and silky, sensual, supple, polished textures and long finish. Decanted about 2 hours, this was ready to go.

With a complex perfume consisting of flowers, licorice, black raspberries, spice, incense, smoke, tobacco and roasted cherries, the wine really grabs your focus. As good as that is, the best is yet to come. The wine hits the sensuality button again and again with its purity of fruit and silky, sensual, supple, polished textures and long finish. Decanted about 2 hours, this was ready to go.

8,545 Views   Tasted
Showing the beginning of secondary notes with its tobacco, truffle, earth, plum liqueur, cherry and cigar box aromatics, the wine is sweet, lush, fresh, polished and sexy. Still young, you can drink this now for its freshness and power, or you can age it for more complexity and texture.

Showing the beginning of secondary notes with its tobacco, truffle, earth, plum liqueur, cherry and cigar box aromatics, the wine is sweet, lush, fresh, polished and sexy. Still young, you can drink this now for its freshness and power, or you can age it for more complexity and texture.

5,992 Views   Tasted
Pure silk, velvet and cashmere in texture, this is sensuous, hedonistic, rich, pure and clean. The stunning levels of concentration in the exotic, perfectly ripe fruit, coupled with the decadent, sexy mouth feel and amazing length really make an impression.

Pure silk, velvet and cashmere in texture, this is sensuous, hedonistic, rich, pure and clean. The stunning levels of concentration in the exotic, perfectly ripe fruit, coupled with the decadent, sexy mouth feel and amazing length really make an impression.

8,853 Views   Tasted
Purity, polish, sex and hedonism in a glass. If you Google decadent wine, an image of 2000 Cheval Blanc should appear. Every sniff, sip and swallow is pure, unabashed , velvet textured pleasure.

Purity, polish, sex and hedonism in a glass. If you Google decadent wine, an image of 2000 Cheval Blanc should appear. Every sniff, sip and swallow is pure, unabashed , velvet textured pleasure.

7,002 Views   Tasted
Powerful, full bodied, rich, intense aromatically and on the palate, the wine is pure, polished silk in texture. Still young, I'd wait at least 5 years to open this beautiful, sexy, opulent, wine. Time is going to make this much more decadent.

Powerful, full bodied, rich, intense aromatically and on the palate, the wine is pure, polished silk in texture. Still young, I'd wait at least 5 years to open this beautiful, sexy, opulent, wine. Time is going to make this much more decadent.

9,920 Views   Tasted
Perfectly ripe, cherries, plum and blackberry, truffle, earth, coffee, flowers and spice create a complex perfume. On the palate this is pure silk and velvet, that coats your taste receptors with plum liqueur sensations and a beautiful sensation of purity in the fruit. There is not a hard edge to be found in this St. Emilion wine. Drink it today, or give it another decade or two, to allow for more complexity and silk.

Perfectly ripe, cherries, plum and blackberry, truffle, earth, coffee, flowers and spice create a complex perfume. On the palate this is pure silk and velvet, that coats your taste receptors with plum liqueur sensations and a beautiful sensation of purity in the fruit. There is not a hard edge to be found in this St. Emilion wine. Drink it today, or give it another decade or two, to allow for more complexity and silk.

11,196 Views   Tasted
With a complicated perfume featuring flowers, herbs, juicy black and red plums, stone, earth, spice and coconut, your attention is riveted on what comes next. Rich, refined, opulent and elegant, this unique expression of Bordeaux wine is balanced, long and intense ending in a beautiful finish filled with pure ripe dark berries and sensuous textures that stays with you for close to a minute. Still young, this will only get better!

With a complicated perfume featuring flowers, herbs, juicy black and red plums, stone, earth, spice and coconut, your attention is riveted on what comes next. Rich, refined, opulent and elegant, this unique expression of Bordeaux wine is balanced, long and intense ending in a beautiful finish filled with pure ripe dark berries and sensuous textures that stays with you for close to a minute. Still young, this will only get better!

13,875 Views   Tasted
Aromatics of ripe black raspberry, flowers, herbs, plums, minerals, coconut and spice box is compelling. This Bordeaux wine marries intensity with balance, complexity, purity and an exotic style. The seamless finish of juicy, ripe plums and dark berries fills your mouth with pleasure and remains etched on your palate for close to sixty seconds!

Aromatics of ripe black raspberry, flowers, herbs, plums, minerals, coconut and spice box is compelling. This Bordeaux wine marries intensity with balance, complexity, purity and an exotic style. The seamless finish of juicy, ripe plums and dark berries fills your mouth with pleasure and remains etched on your palate for close to sixty seconds!

19,685 Views   Tasted
In character, this reminded me of the 90. The finish was not quite as long and it lacked a bit of the opulence found in the 90, but I imagine that will change in 10 years. This is a stunning wine that requires time before opening up and showing its stunning charms.

In character, this reminded me of the 90. The finish was not quite as long and it lacked a bit of the opulence found in the 90, but I imagine that will change in 10 years. This is a stunning wine that requires time before opening up and showing its stunning charms.

15,147 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Chateau Cheval Blanc, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Cheval Blanc can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting, but the wine is much better wine, these days. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-4 hours, give or take.

This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Cheval Blanc is usually better with at least 12-15 years of bottle age.

Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Some of the best vintages take over 20 years before they are mature! Chateau Cheval Blanc offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15-50 or more years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Cheval Blanc with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Cheval Blanc is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Chateau Cheval Blanc is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Cheval Blanc is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

Le Petit Cheval Bordeaux Blanc, the white wine of Cheval Blanc

Starting with the 2015 vintage, Cheval Blanc started producing a dry, white Bordeaux wine called, "Le Petit Cheval Bordeaux Blanc". To avoid confusion with their second wine, Le Petit Cheval, on the label for the white wine the printing is in silver and the bottle will have a silver capsule. For the initial vintages, the wine was produced using 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Starting with the 2018 vintage, the wine comes from a blend representing the vineyard plantings of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon planted on a 1.4-hectare parcel of vines. The grapes are planted in the vineyard located just across the road from Cheval Blanc in the vineyards previously used by La Tour du Pin.

As we mentioned earlier, the owners of Cheval Blanc purchased La Tour du Pin in 2006. The first vintages of white wine produced were not available for sale to the public. 2015 is the first commercial vintage.

To produce the wine, the grapes are entirely barreled fermented. There is no malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in 3, large 400-liter oak barrels. The wine is going to be hard to find as not much is produced. The initial release will be about 400 cases and by 2020, the production should increase to an average of 1,250 cases.

Le Petit Cheval will be sold as a generic AOC white Bordeaux Blanc because AOC law does not allow white wine grapes in Saint Emilion. According to Pierre-Olivier Clouet, the Technical Director of Cheval Blanc who spearheaded the project, the wine reminds him in some ways of a great Sancerre from the Loire Valley.

Cheval Blanc also maintains an interest in the Mendoza region of Argentina where they produce the wine Cheval des Andes.

www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com