Château Cheval Blanc - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1994

Wine & Co

/ 100

the2/19/2004

souplesse se mêle à complexité, puissance à rondeur, tanins à douceur. Vin étonnamment accessible, malgré la richesse dont il regorge, c’est un honneur et un privilège de s’en délecter.

Wine Spectator

86 / 100

byThomas Matthewsthe3/31/1999

Firm and austere. It offers full, slightly dry tannins, with cherry, licorice and light herbal flavors. Needs time to soften; best after 2002.--Cheval-Blanc vertical.

Wine Advocate

88 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1997

Dark ruby/purple-colored, with a complex, spicy, tobacco, vanilla, blackcurrant, mineral, and floral-scented nose, the 1994 is a bigger, more structured wine than the 1993, its older sibling, but is it better? The wine finishes with mouthsearing tannin, which detracts from the otherwise impressive aromatics and sweet, medium-bodied, lush attack. As I have written many times in the past, Cheval Blanc has a tendency to fatten up, put on weight, and expand both aromatically and texturally with age, so perhaps this wine will move in that direction. If it does, my rating will appear unduly conservative. But if the tannin continues to taste astringent and the fruit begins to fade, then I will have overrated the 1994. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2017.

Wine Advocate

86-87 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1996

Cheval Blanc's medium ruby-colored 1994 exhibits an up-front, sexy, clean, blackcurrant and floral-scented nose, medium body, soft flavors that caress the palate, fine ripeness, and a short finish with a lack of concentration and depth. It is a flattering, easy to understand and drink Cheval Blanc that is very good, but I doubt if it will ever become outstanding. However, as I have stated many times in the past, this wine has an uncanny knack of putting on weight and appearing far denser and richer after a few years in the bottle than it does from barrel. That being said, this appears to be a wine to drink over the next 10-12 years. I will be thrilled if this wine proves my rating to be too stingy.

Wine Advocate

87-89 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1995

Although this 50% Cabernet Franc/50% Merlot blend is richer than the lightweight wine produced in 1992, as well as the 1993 (which, by the way, is tasting far better; I would now rate it 87-88 points), it is not the most concentrated Cheval Blanc. The color is an attractive dark ruby with purple tints. The wine reveals the classic Cheval Blanc aromatic profile with sweet oak, menthol, blackcurrant, and spicy scents. Medium-bodied and delicate, with admirable richness and a soft, seductive, satiny smooth style, this wine was so velvety-textured, I could have consumed it from the cask. If the 1994 Cheval Blanc puts on more weight (it often has a tendency to improve greatly after 3-5 years of age), this will be an outstanding wine, but it is not of the quality Cheval Blanc achieved in 1990, 1989, 1985, 1983, and 1982. This is not a 1994 with a high tannin level, so it will unquestionably drink well young.