Château Cheval Blanc - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1996

Wine Advocate

88 / 100

byNeal Martinthe10/28/2016

Tasted at the château, the 1996 Cheval Blanc was a majority of Cabernet Franc although the exact blend is not known. Firstly, the color is a healthy garnet with a mahogany rim. The bouquet has good intensity although it is certainly not a complex set of aromas: dusky black fruit, game, clove and a faint touch of hickory. The palate is quite sharp on the entry with noticeable acidity. My main criticism is a lack of cohesion and a lack of Merlot to bind everything together and lend fleshiness. It seems to be rather monochromatic, a Cheval Blanc with a single note, the finish conservative with a touch of black pepper and cooked meat, but a little frayed around the edges. I would drink bottles now and maybe larger formats would yield more pleasure. The bottom line is this is not one of the great Cheval Blancs and that is reflected in my score. Tasted July 2016.

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/1/2007

Medium ruby, with a garnet edge. Aromas of plum and fresh herbs, such as basil, that turn to cedar and cigar box. Full-bodied, with soft, silky tannins. Long and flavorful, with subtle chocolate, berry and light coffee aftertaste. Gorgeous.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2007.

Wine Spectator

90 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe6/30/1999

A very fine '96, but what else would you expect from Cheval-Blanc? Medium- to full-bodied, with a good deep-ruby color, this has aromas of freshly crushed blackberry, fine tannins and a silky, fresh aftertaste. Best after 2001.

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1999

The elegant, moderately weighted 1996 Cheval Blanc reveals a deep garnet/plum, evolved color. Quintessentially elegant, with a complex nose of black fruits, coconut, smoke, and pain grille, this medium-bodied wine exhibits sweet fruit on the attack, substantial complexity, and a lush, velvety-textured finish. It is very soft and evolved for a 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2015.

Wine Advocate

90-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe9/1/1998

This wine has put on considerable weight during cask aging and looks exceptionally strong, not surprising given the fact that 1996 is considered a strong vintage for Cabernet Franc. The 1996 Cheval Blanc exhibits a dark, dense garnet/plum color, as well as a hedonistic, smoky, exotic, sweet coconut, black plum, and cherry-scented nose intermingled with smoky oak (about 25% of the new oak is from Taransaud). The wine is ripe and complex, with rich, sweet layers of fruit that hit the palate with outstanding purity and ripeness. It is much more expansive and fatter than when I first tasted it in spring following the vintage. Sixty percent of the crop was used in the grand vin, with 20% of the balance going into the second wine, and the rest sold in bulk. This should turn out to be a sensational Cheval Blanc, rivaling the gorgeous 1995. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2020. Last tasted 11/97

Wine Advocate

90-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1998

Typical for this estate's wines, the 1996 has put on considerable weight and flesh since I first tasted it. Forty percent of the 1996 crop was declassified, but the quality of the Cabernet Franc (which often makes up 50%-60% of the final blend) was high. Yields were below 30-35 hectoliters per hectare. This deep garnet/plum-colored Cheval Blanc offers a gorgeously exotic, sweet, smoky, coconut, menthol, jammy raspberry and blackberry-scented nose. Medium body, ripe fruit, outstanding concentration, and a succulent texture place this wine high up on the qualitative hierarchy. An intriguing coffee bean and chocolatey sweetness can be found in the wine's finish. This appears to be an impressive, savory, multidimensional Cheval Blanc that is growing in stature and weight as it ages in cask. Anticipated maturity: 1999-2020

Wine Advocate

89-90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1997

It appears that this great estate could make a more concentrated and complex wine if a few risks were taken. Moreover, couldn't the selection for the grand vin be more severe? When Cheval Blanc does everything right (1982, 1983, 1985, and 1990), this is one of the most exotic, compelling wines made in the world, yet recent vintages, while obviously delicious, have been lighter than expected for one of Bordeaux's most famous wines. Admittedly, Cheval Blanc has a tendency to put on weight, but my instincts suggest that a stricter selection (charge higher prices if necessary) will result in more persuasive and authoritative wines. Nevertheless, the moderately dark purple-colored 1996 reveals an evolved blueberry and redcurrant, coconut, spicy new oak-scented bouquet, medium body, soft, round, savory flavors, and a clean finish. It lacks concentration and depth, but this wine is still seductive, albeit too compressed, polite, and under-sized. The 1996 Cheval Blanc should drink well early, and last for 15 years. Given the recent higher quality efforts at Ausone, it is easy to imagine that Ausone may begin to outdistance Cheval Blanc in head to head competition.