Château Cheval Blanc - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2006

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/31/2016

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Cheval Blanc is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc. It has the most floral bouquet of the four Serié A Grand Cru Classé: an explosion of crushed violets and potpourri, hints of leather and cigar box, the Cabernet Franc clearly lending this complexity and character. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. It feels wonderfully structured and comes with an insistent grip that coats the mouth. This is backward and almost surly, but you have to stand back and admire the precision and arching structure on the mineral-rich finish. Top-dog Saint Emilion? That's for sure. Tasted January 2016.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe1/27/2010

Very dark crimson. Light, quite mellow scent. Very sweet black cherry start. Rich and appealing. Dry as dust on the end with a mineral note. Long-term wine. Drink 2016-2030

Decanter Magazine

16.50 / 20

the4/1/2009

Big chunky, leathery fruit, extracted. Full and exciting lifted violet notes. Cabernet Franc is evident, showing fragrance and fruit, very good length and balance. From 2010.

Wine Spectator

95 / 100

the3/31/2009

Displays lots of milk chocolate, cedar, berry and cappuccino aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, this is structured and layered for the vintage. Mouthpuckering. Needs time. This is one of the wines of the vintage. Best after 2015. –JS

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/1/2009

The brilliant 2006 Cheval Blanc performed better from bottle than from barrel. A blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot grown in a superb vineyard site facing La Conseillante and l’Evangile at the very edge of the sandy, gravelly soils of St.-Emilion, it boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet perfume of menthol, charcoal, boysenberries, black currants, and hints of cocoa and caramel. Lush, textured, and opulent with superb purity, medium to full body, savory flavors, and sweet, sexy tannins, this stunning Cheval Blanc may be even better than the 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.

Wine Spectator

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/29/2009

Displays lots of milk chocolate, cedar, berry and cappuccino aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, this is structured and layered for the vintage. Mouthpuckering. Needs time. This is one of the wines of the vintage. Best after 2015. From France.—J.S.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

92-94 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2008

Good full red-ruby. Complex nose melds redcurrant, tobacco, iron, smoke and a floral element. Suave and bright, at once fatter and finer-grained than the 2007, but with perfectly integrated acidity to buffer its voluptuous texture. The broad, mouthcoating finish features very fine tannins and excellent length. This was to have been bottled in April. Estate Manager Pierre Lurton noted that Cheval Blanc typically gets no more than 15 months of elevage

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

the6/30/2007

Classic Cheval Blanc in style, elegant, long and fine. Lacy texture and quality of annin. Misses the extra intensity of a truly great year. 2015-25

Cahier Gaultmillau

19.50 / 20

the6/30/2007

Vin à la couleur très profonde, presque noire, avec des reflets bleutés, violets et pourpres. La remière impression est plutôt introvertie. Le nez s'ouvre ensuite sur de la rondeur et du fruit, de la fraîcheur et de la race. Nous lui avons trouvé des arômes de griotte, de cassis, de menthe, de réglisse et une très belle minéralité. L'attaque en bouche est souple et minérale, avec une formidable sensation tactile où se mêlent douceur et épices. D'abord subtil et délicat, le vin finit tout en puissance. Très grand. A boire avant 2030.

La Revue du Vin de France

17.50-18.50 / 20

the6/27/2007

Issu à 60% de merlot et 40% de cabernet franc, c'est un vin suave, aromatique et flatteur. il possède une belle texture de bouche avec beaucoup de moelleux et une belle finesse de texture. La finale s'appuie sur une structure tannique bien construite, raffinée. Facilement accessible, il devrait se boire assez rapidement.

Le Point

18 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/24/2007

Nez épicé, boisé, un pue fumé, poivre, puis à l'aération petits fruits rouges; bouche tendue, très fine, soyeuse, la petite touche de vert, séveuse, des millésime de garde, tanins croquants, long, tès pur, peut-être pas la densité de 2005, mais un équilibre parfait.

Falstaff

93-95 / 100

the5/23/2007

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, jugendliche Reflexe, violetter Rand. In der Nase saftige dunkle Beerenfrucht, etwas nach Brombeeren, zarte Gewürzexotik, feine Süße, aber auch rauchige Mineralik vermittelnd, ein vielschichtiges Bukett. Am Gaumen stoffig, wieder nach schwarzen Beeren, finessenreiche Säurestruktur, kraftvoller Holzeinsatz, sehr präsent, dennoch sind die Tannine perfekt eingebunden, ein relativ feuriger Cheval Blanc mit Fleisch auf den Knochen, der bereits jetzt eine ausgezeichnet Textur und Länge aufweist, sehr lagerfähig angelegt.

Wein Wisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe5/7/2007

2015-2045

Wine Advocate

92-95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/3/2007

Only 60% of the harvest was utilized in this marvelous blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc. As always, the 2006 Cheval Blanc is made in a lighter, more elegant style based on finesse, purity, and beautiful nuances. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by scents of crushed rocks, menthol, raspberries, cherries, and assorted blue as well as black fruits. An impeccable integration of new oak, medium body, terrific palate penetration and purity, and light tannins suggest it will be drinkable in 2-3 years, but it should put on considerable weight because of its large Cabernet Franc component. While the 2006 may not eclipse the 2005, 2000, or 1998, it is not far off in terms of quality and longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2007

Tasted at Cheval Blanc. A blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, this is an intellectual Cheval Blanc that does not go out of its way to charm, but nonetheless has its virtues. A fine mineral-driven nose with blackberry leaf, wet stones and a touch of dark chocolate – precise and taut. The palate is full-bodied, less fleshy that other vintages I have tasted at this stage, masculine, tannic with ripe red-berried fruits and a touch of pain grillé. Very good length, this has all the components to be a great, rather than iconic Cheval Blanc, but it will need some time in the cellar.

TAST

18.50 / 20

the4/30/2007

Corsé pour le millésime et le cru, avec des tannins virils mais d’une franchise et d’une classe remarquables, grande longueur, grand potentiel de vieillissement. À l’opposé, Petit-Cheval, le second vin du château, brille par sa féminité de texture, sa suavité, sa très grande finesse et son ouverture immédiate de saveur (16/20).

Vinum

18.50 / 20

the4/30/2007

Elegant und dicht, von grossem Liebreiz, mit ungemein feinkörnigem, edlem Tannin und langem Beerenfinale, dichtes und doch florales Finale... Trotz ds leicht höheren Merlot-Anteils sehr schöner, klassischer, liebenswürdiger Cheval Blanc, der schon früh Genuss bereiten wird und doch sehr lange reifen kann. 2012 bis 2025

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/18/2007

Very good depth of crimson though pretty weak rim. Reticent nose though obviously more concentrated than the Petit Cheval. Very subtle light whiff of bonfires. Good round supple fruit on the front palate but no great intensity. Tasted straight after Evangile next door it seemed a rather green puny little thing. Definitely not one of Cheval’s most glorious vintages – decidedly inky. Mouthfilling though but no great depth. Some unripe green element underneath. 17++

Wine Enthusiast

96-98 / 100

the4/15/2007

Dark chocolate and mocha flavors, very dark and intense, this is a big, concentrated wine, flavored with bitter cherries and structured. Certainly a great Cheval Blanc, it still manages to preserve elegance. —R.V.

Wine Spectator

92-94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2007

Very rich, showing lots of blackberry and licorice, with just a hint of wood. Full-bodied, with dense but polished tannins. This is subtle. Very, very pretty and elegant. Silky and long. Almost 95-100.