Chateau Cheval Blanc 2022 Grand Cru Classé
Country: France Region: Saint Emilion, Bordeaux
Varietal: 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2022 Category: Red Wine Style: Dry
Producer: Château Cheval Blanc
Description:
Cheval Blanc is one of the great names of Bordeaux and the most famous château in Saint Emilion. The 39 hectares of vines border Pomerol but the wine is different from Pomerol thanks to the high percentage of Cabernet Franc in the vineyard. A stunning new winery has recently been completed. There is no doubt that this is a great vineyard with an excellent wine-making team led by the talented Pierre-Olivier Clouet and overseen by Pierre Lurton. It is now planted with 49% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The team here were so pleased with their 2022 harvest that they have used all but 2 plots of young vines in the grand vin. There will be no Petit Cheval this year (as in 2015). The yield was 27 hl/ha, alcohol 13.9% and the blend is 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. The harvest was the earliest on record - starting on August 29th with 80% of the Merlot already picked by September 1st.
100/100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com
"The 2022 Château Cheval Blanc is based on 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up all in new oak, and this is the second year where no Petite Cheval was produced. (2015 was the last.) Its deep purple colour is followed by a riveting Cheval Blanc that has fabulous aromatics of blackcurrants, spice, flowers, spicy wood, and white truffle. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, remarkably pure, elegant, seamless 2022 that has a layered, rounded mouthfeel, absolutely riveting purity, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It brings to mind a more refined, elegant version of the 2010 and is every bit its equal. Hitting 14% alcohol with a healthy pH of 3.83, it warrants a solid decade of bottle age and will have 40-50+ years of overall prime drinking. 2035 - 2085"
97-99+/100 - William Kelley, Wine Advocate
"One of the stars of the vintage is the striking 2022 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon that bursts from the glass with aromas of mulberries, cherries and wild berries mingled with mint, orange zest, pencil lead, vine smoke and exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, it's rich and gourmand, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and a long, saline, pungently perfumed finish. Harvest began on 29 August, with all the Merlot picked before the month was out, and the result is a wine that is as vibrant as it is lavish."
99/100 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
"This is a wine that soars to new heights with its brightness and weightlessness. The balance of serene fruit that’s perfectly ripe. Full-bodied yet tight and polished where it seems delicate and compressed, with berry, chocolate and walnut character. The finish is endless and poised. Wine of the vintage? 53% merlot, 46% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon."
98/100 Points - Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com
"Kicks off with an explosive nose of freshly crushed red roses, liquorice root and smoked sandalwood. The exuberance of the vintage means that this is a Cheval that feels more approachable at this stage than many years, but no less complex. Blueberry, raspberry and cassis fruits, along with ink, soot, baked earth, incense and saffran, closing to mouth-watering lime and mandarin zest that add juice and length on the finish. Just a great wine from director Pierre Olivier Clouet and the team. And this is the first year where Cheval Blanc is just a simple, lowly AOC St Emilion, after its withdrawal from the classification. A potential 100 points."
