Cheval Blanc - Saint-Emilion 2021

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe11/21/2024

N°87 TOP 100 JS FRANCE
The aromas of currants and flowers with hints of stones and sandalwood are enticing. Medium- to full-bodied, with an impressive structure of polished yet intense and focused tannins that run the length of the wine. Both the acidity and tannins play off each other, giving a punchy character. A classic Cheval. Only 13.3% alcohol. 52% cabernet franc, 43% merlot and 5% cabernet sauvignon. For a decade or so, this wine never had so much cabernet franc. Needs four or five years to soften. Drink after 2029.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94-96

byJeb Dunnuckthe4/4/2024

The Grand Vin 2021 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, and it's a big step up over the second wine, offering serious density, depth, and richness while still holding onto the style of the vintage. Pure cassis and darker fruits, notes of scorched earth and graphite, obvious minerality, medium to full body, and gorgeous tannins all define this beauty, which is unquestionably up with the finest wines of the vintage. A wine that's never about overt power or richness, the 2021 shines on all accounts with its complexity, elegance, and incredible texture.

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe4/2/2024

Rich and explosive in feel, the 2021 Cheval Blanc is outrageously beautiful. For the first time since 2011, the Grand Vin is more than 50% Cabernet Franc. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and mocha are all amplified in this po

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2024

Rich and explosive in feel, the 2021 Cheval Blanc is outrageously beautiful. For the first time since 2011, the Grand Vin is more than 50% Cabernet Franc. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and mocha are all amplified in this potent, luxurious Cheval Blanc. Polished, seamless tannins wrap it all together. This is one of my favorites of the vintage.

Wine Spectator

93

byJames Molesworththe2/22/2024

Polished and inviting in feel, offering notes of dark cherry and plum puree infused with black tea, followed by persistent echoes of warm stone, violet and bay through the lengthy finish. Lacks the density of a classic, but displays a seamless feel that avoids the austerity of the vintage. Great effort. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2040. 6,058 cases made, 462 cases imported.  –JM

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe1/30/2024

We are in an entirely different world of textured tannins, and dense fruit character compared to most, clearly among the red wines of the vintage. Showing an inky character, cigar box, cassis, bluberry, crushed roses, gunsmoke and flint nose along with powerful but understated blueberry and damson fruits. The 30th anniversary with Pierre Lurton as director, and the last official year as Premier Grand Cru Classé A - both things that put this firmly in the buy camp. Biggest percentage of Cabernet Franc since 2011, and the first time to use more Cabernet Franc than Merlot in the blend. 100% new oak.

matthewjukes.com

19,5

byMatthew Jukesthe8/2/2022

All of the young Cabernet Franc vines on the property made the grade for this Grand Vin, and it certainly feels like this wine is the epitome of an exemplary team effort. Arnaud de Laforcade explained that the younger vines had smaller root systems and didn’t “catch the water”. This makes perfect sense and explains why this is such an expressive and layered wine. The nose is nothing short of stunning, and this wine has reverted to the thrilling aromatics of past great vintages of this wine. Cabernet Franc-driven, chiselled, square-jawed and with matinee idol looks, there is no preening musculature or self-conscious glossiness. 2021 Cheval Blanc is made from a thousand intertwined flavour threads, and they are combined to create a wine imbued with modesty, calm, confidence, and uncommon composure. I asked Arnaud if he could explain why I always prefer this style of wine and mark down the warmer, more imposing and more crowd-pleasing vintages. He answered that I clearly like authentic Cheval Blanc and not just boldly structured red wine. This is another rare red wine in this vintage with hints of Immortelle (see my notes on Château Margaux and others). I explained my Immortelle theory to Arnaud. He recognised it immediately, putting it down to the aerial Atlantic influence coupled with the dune locations where this rare plant is found. I am convinced that this is one of the most impressive wines of 2021, and it is evidenced by the undeniable complexity and the unhurried yet all-pervasive way in which it delivers its sublime flavours. This is an incredible, live-giving Cheval Blanc, and it is both classic and also classical, and very few wines can tick both boxes in 2021. 19.5

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe6/8/2022

This is so finely textured with very precise, tight tannins. Medium to full body. Lots of layers here with black and blue fruit, stones, tar, dark cocoa and spices. Dried herbs. Long and persistent. Stays focused all the way. So precise. 52% cabernet franc, 43% merlot and 5% cabernet sauvignon.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94-96

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/2/2022

The Grand Vin 2021 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, and it's a big step up over the second wine, offering serious density, depth, and richness while still holding onto the style of the vintage. Pure cassis and darker fruits, notes of scorched earth and graphite, obvious minerality, medium to full body, and gorgeous tannins all define this beauty, which is unquestionably up with the finest wines of the vintage. A wine that's never about overt power or richness, the 2021 shines on all accounts with its complexity, elegance, and incredible texture. 94-96+

Bettane & Desseauve

96-97

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/24/2022

Nez subtil et délicat, floral et fruité, toucher de tannin de cachemire permis par les 43 % de merlot. Le cœur de bouche crémeux est construit par 52 % de cabernet franc. 5 % de cabernet-sauvignon donnent de l’élan à la finale qui gagnera rapidement encore en profondeur et en complexité.

The Vintage Journal

96-97

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2022

Deep crimson. Fresh blackcurrant pastille, graphite, toasty vanilla aromas. Lovely sinuous flow on the palate with plentiful blackcurrant, blackberry fruits, chocolaty textures and hint vanilla notes. Firm graphite/leafy finish. Very good mid-palate tension, density and bittersweet notes. 43% merlot, 52% cabernet franc, 5% cabernet sauvignon. 13.25% alc

Alexandre Ma

96-97

byAlexandre Mathe5/16/2022

After tasting the three Coeur de Cépage one after another, I imagined Cheval Blanc 2021 would be a “running wild horse”. But once the soft, delicate liquid touched the tip of my tongue and its beautiful body caressed my taste buds, what I see is a pliant white horse taking a rest. Although the tannic structure is quite compact at the Primeur stage, the rounded body and mellow palate can just “melt” everything. Patience is needed with this pilant white horse, with my knowledge of Cheval Blanc, it will no doubt gallop across the vast land in 10-15 years. ????????????(Coeur de Cépage),???2021???Cheval Blanc??“???????”;????????????,???????????,?????????????“????”?????????????????,???????????????????“??”???2021?????????,???????????,????????,??10-15???,?????????????

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98

byJeff Levethe5/16/2022

A gorgeous wine, especially when you consider the vintage, you start off with a nose offering complexities of tobacco leaf, violets, roses, spice-box, mint leaf, and ripe, red and black pit fruits. On the palate you find layers of sensual, pure, silky fruits, cashmere, polished tannins and a richness created by velvet textured plums and black cherries. There is a slight drop off in the weight of the fruit after the mid-palate that makes this a very, very good vintage for Cheval Blanc, but stops it from being one of the great vintages from the estate. Still, there is a lot to love about the 2021 Cheval, making this one of the contenders for wine of the vintage. The wine blends 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, 5%, 13.25% ABV, 3.61 pH. Cabernet Sauvignon. the harvest took place September 24 - October 14, making this a very late vintage here. In fact, it is the lateness of the harvest that is the secret to the success of the vintage. Yields were low at only 28 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2029-2055. 96-98

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe5/13/2022

Vinous

95-97

byNeal Martinthe5/12/2022

The 2021 Cheval Blanc was picked between September 22 and October 14, and for the first time in many years there is a higher proportion of Cabernet Franc. This has a lovely bouquet, very clean and precise, featuring black cherry, wild mint, sous-bois and orange sorbet, all vivacious and very focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, quite structured and very linear and strict. A bit like Ausone, this is an uncompromising Cheval Blanc, very saline and marine-influenced. While not as flattering as the 2020, it will appeal more to those who prefer a cerebral Cheval Blanc. One of the stars of the Right Bank in this challenging growing season.

Vinous

96-98

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2022

The 2021 Cheval Blanc is one of the wines of the vintage. Vertical and aristocratic in bearing, Cheval is just stunning. Time in the glass brings out compelling inner sweetness and perfume to play off a core of rich dark fruit, gravel, spice, menthol and dried flowers. I also tasted the final three blending components, none of which hints at the magnificence of the Grand Vin. Stunning.

vvwine

97-98

byAdrian Van Velsenthe5/10/2022

52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Die Nase springt aus dem Glas, florale Noten, rote, knackige Früchte, Minze, blonder Tabak, wunderbarer Duft. Im Gaumen feingliedrig, hochelegant, der Wein zeigt viel Struktur, die Frucht ist knackig, genau richtig reif, keinerlei Überreife, der Wein ist super elegant, hat Biss und Rasse, im Abgang eine grosse Länge, viel Frische. Eine Delikatesse die zurück an die kühleren, klassischen Jahre erinnern lässt. (Verkostet im April 2022. Château Cheval-Blanc)

Anthocyanes

96-98

byYohan Castaingthe5/6/2022

Assemblages réalisés. D'un premier abord légèrement terrien et racinaire, Cheval Blanc 2021 déploie un bouquet subtil et franc avec des notes de lilas, de mure, de cassis, de violette, de réglisse, de rose et de pivoine. Quelle complexité dans l'élégance pour un bouquet d'une très grande précision. A ce stade, peut-être l'un des plus éclatants et complexes de ces dernières années. À la fois juteuse et pleine, l'attaque est très structurée puis le vin évolue sur une ligne de crête magnifique dans un équilibre sensationnel. Voici un Cheval Blanc très identitaire, un reflet parfait de son terroir, et osons le dire, plus intéressant que les millésimes 2020, 2019 et 2018. Quelle précision d'ensemble ! Du grand art, l'impression de lire le terroir dans le vin sans filtre. 96-98+

Wine Advocate

95-97

byWilliam Kelleythe4/29/2022

A terrific achievement, the 2021 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of cigar wrapper, vine smoke, rose petals and violets, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with an elegantly muscular chassis of ripe, powdery tannin and lively animating acids. Long and penetrating, this is a serious, rather structured young Cheval Blanc that will require and reward patience.