Château Cheval Blanc - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2017

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/17/2020

The blend this year is 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc and 56% Merlot, possessing an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cheval Blanc needs a fair bit of coaxing to reveal notions of plum preserves, redcurrant jelly, kirsch and red roses plus emerging nuances of aniseed, Sichuan pepper, pencil lead and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers impressive intensity with layer upon layer of red and black flavors with sparks of minerals and floral notes plus a firm line of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support, finishing very long and very fragrant. Drinking Window : 2023 - 2055. 96+

Vinous

97 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe3/11/2020

A wine of sublime elegance and finesse, the 2017 Cheval Blanc is endowed with tremendous energy, precision and cut. Red/purplish fruit, mint, sage, blood orange, star anise and exotic spice notes abound in a mid-weight, finely cut Cheval that dazzles with its energy. Technical Director Pierre-Olivier Clouet gave the 2017 26-27 days on skins. Because of severe frost damage, in 2017, the Grand Vin includes a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), from gravelly soils, which gives the wine very unusual flavor and structure profile. The 2017 Cheval Blanc has all the ingredients to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is class personified. Wow! 97+

Wine Spectator

96 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/7/2020

Singed tobacco leaf and savory aromas lead the way, giving this red a distinctive profile, while dark currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors form the core. Shows a loamy backdrop and a hint of cast iron throughout, with the fruit and savory elements keeping pace. Ends with prominent tannic grip. For the cellar. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2042. 10,208 cases made. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/13/2020

This is a special Cheval-Blanc with blackcurrants, blueberries and hints of fresh herbs, tobacco and cedar. Full-bodied, very powerful and muscular with lots of tannins. The higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon (15% instead of 5%) makes it structured. Give it time to come together. Better after 2022.

Le Point

16,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Fruits noirs marqué cabernet, bouche souple, veloutée, serrée, dense, finale relevée, belle complexité aromatique, frais, vif, en finesse.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/12/2018

The 2017 Cheval Blanc is, as one would expect, up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. The estate was hammered by the April frosts, and the resulting wine is more ethereal and elegant, with medium-bodied notes of ripe black fruits, smoked herbs, violets, and damp earth. Incredibly classic in style, already complex, concentrated, and seamless, it’s the quality of the tannin that sets this beauty on another level compared to just about every other wine.

Vinifera

97 / 100

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Nez très élégant, raffiné, complexe, mentholé, pour ce Cheval Blanc un peu plus orienté sur les cabernet que d’habitude.Très belle entrée en bouche, précise, dynamique. Il est subtilement tramé, encore sur la retenue, mais avec un gros potentiel et un tanin superbe.

Vinous

93-96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

The 2017 Cheval Blanc bristles with tension. Because of severe frost damage, in 2017, the Grand Vin includes a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), from gravelly soils, which gives the wine very unusual flavor and structure profile. Vibrant and pulsing with a real sense of direction, the 2017 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. Even so, it is an utterly fascinating wine. The blend is 56% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in 100% new oak.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

There is a lot of depth here. The fruit comes in layers that alternate between earth, red berries and black fruits. There is intensity and elegance, with a unique fleshy sensation due to the large percentage of Cabernet in the blend. You will want to age this for at least 15 years before popping a bottle. The wine was made using 56% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the most Cabernet Sauvignon ever used in the blend in the history of the estate! The wine reached 13.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.65 and the harvest took place September 6 to October 11, which is the longest harvest recorded here. The Grand Vin represents 77% of the harvest.

Vinous

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Cheval Blanc comes from 97% first generation grapes and 3% second generation from two-thirds of the vineyard, using a sorting table to select the ripest berries that were matured separately in small vats. The rejected second generation were sold off in bulk and not blended into the deuxième vin. There is a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and comparatively lower percentage of Cabernet Franc due to the frost damage. So this is a more Left Bank Cheval Blanc using more the gravel soils than clay since the latter are colder. It has a tightly wound, almost Saint Estèphe-inspired bouquet, with fresh blackberry, cedar, wet clay and light iris-like aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, masculine in style, less corpulent than the 2015 or 2016, stricter and more linear, a “cool” Cheval Blanc that eschews the florality of previous vintages with a saline, marine-tinged finish. This is a cerebral Cheval Blanc, not the greatest in recent years, but one of the most interesting to sit and think about (and then drink of course!)

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

The 2017 Cheval Blanc is composed of 56% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon—an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon for this wine. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens slowly to reveal a gorgeous lilacs, roses, licorice and black truffles nose over a compelling core of cassis, warm plums, wild blueberries and cigar box plus a waft of wood smoke. Medium to full-bodied, firm and earthy in character on the palate, it packs in tightly wound fruits and mineral accents, culminating in a long, perfumed finish. 50,000 bottles are to be produced.

Decanter.com

96 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

A sense of forward motion here makes you smile - a reaction that's missing in many wines this year. The tannins push their way right through the palate, but cradle the cassis and bilberry fruit rather than smother it, helped by the fact that floral and smoky aromatics rise up. There's good persistency and you get that little kick and dance of minerality. The precision engineering is clear, but the overall feeling is simply of cohesion and enjoyment. 3.65ph. 100% new oak, but without a trace even now at this early stage. Approximately 60% of the wine this year came from the gravelly plots which were less affected by the frost, which accounts for a slightly higher level of Cabernet Sauvignon than usual. They used perhaps 1% of secondary budding in this blend (five weeks behind schedule at bud-break and then around 15 days by harvest) and kept picking from 15 September to 11 October - an extremely long schedule compared to most estates in 2017. With around 30% loss to frost, there will be 50,000 bottles of Cheval in 2017, compared to 116,000 in 2016. 21hl/ha yield this year, 75% destined for the grand vin.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

18,5 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/17/2018

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2018

Ripe and juicy with immense fruitiness, the black currant flavors and solid tannins are an indication of the long future ahead of this wine. Big in structure, it has a richly perfumed character as well as great fruit. It's a great wine that's ready to age for many years.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

This is tight and very tannic with a linear and steely backbone of texture. Full-bodied, compacted and complete. Muscular and flexing it but polished and toned. Wow. There is 6% cabernet sauvignon in the blend, which may be giving this even more strength. Very, very long. Very Left Bank in terms of the power and depth.