Château Cheval Blanc - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2013

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

par Neal Martin le 28/10/2016

The 2013 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 49% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Cabernet Franc (and that is the correct blend!), is darker in color than the 2013 Le Petit Cheval. It has a fragrant bouquet with raspberry preserves, wild strawberries and hints of truffle from the Cabernet Franc - one of the most pleasurable you will find in this vintage. The palate is smooth on the entry with sappy red berry fruit, nicely judged acidity, harmonious and lilting in style with good body and density on the finish. There is a huge difference between the deuxième and grand vin this year. Enjoy this fine Cheval Blanc over the next 10-15 years.

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

le 31/03/2016

Jamessuckling.com

94 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2016

This is has a very beautiful structure and length for a 2013. Full to medium body, ultra fine tannins and a long and lively finish. Impressive. Racy and refined. Tight still. Better in 2018 but pretty now.

Wine Advocate

89-91 / 100

par Robert Parker le 29/08/2014

The final blend of the 2013 Cheval Blanc is 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot. It is a light- to medium-bodied, but stylish, perfumed, complex wine exhibiting hints of forest floor, raspberries and underbrush in a gentle, nicely textured style that builds incrementally in the mouth. Attractive fruit and substance give the wine more completeness than many of its peers. Administrator Pierre Lurton compares it, in a positive manner, to the style of the 2001, but I do not think it has quite the richness of that vintage. Nevertheless, this is an early-maturing, easygoing Cheval Blanc to drink in its first 10-12 years of life.

Cheval Blanc began their harvest on September 26 and, because of the tropical humidity and disease pressure, finished quickly.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90-92 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 16/05/2014

(53% cabernet franc and 47% merlot):  Luminous ruby color.  Captivating aromas of strawberry, raspberry, minerals, violet and graphite:  very cab franc!  The palate offers an uncanny combination of sweetness and penetrating power, with brisk acidity framing and lifting the fine-grained flavors of blackcurrant, spearmint and aromatic spices.  The very long, slowly mounting finish conveys an impression of energy and great finesse, and the firm tannic spine suggests that this will age better than most 2013s.  This reminded me of the 1993 Cheval Blanc, but it has a little more meat and depth than that wine, not to mention greater precision.  Lurton suggested it is more like the 1988.

timatkin.com

93 / 100

par Tim Atkin MW le 07/05/2014

This is a good rather than a great Cheval Blanc, made with 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot. It’s deeply coloured, but relatively restrained and elegant in style, with a subtle interplay between sweet red fruits, cinnamon oak, textured tannins and acidity.

matthewjukes.com

17,5 / 20

par Matthew Jukes le 23/04/2014

(53% Cabernet Franc, 47 Merlot) Only 20 hl/ha. After terrible flowering which affected both grapes they needed to do an enormous amount of work in the vineyard to retain freshness in the wine. This is a classically dimensioned wine and it certainly speaks genuinely of the terroir. Complex, long and slim this is a sleek Cheval Blanc which gains its complexity from the little berries which contribute to the concentration without adding any weight to the wine. Really bright on the nose and the acid is crunchy, too, the remarkable fact is that this is 100% new oak and it has been absorbed completely into the silky fruit.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

par Richard Hemmings le 22/04/2014

52% Cabernet Franc, 48% Merlot. Very compact nose – much less expressive than the Petit Cheval. Black fruit, no greenness, and a hint of bitter chocolate. Good persistence and balance – this has been well made. Rounded, soft, approachable and with a smoky character just emerging.

Vinous

90-92 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 18/04/2014

There is a lot to like in the 2013 Cheval Blanc. Sweet red berries, crushed flowers, mint, pomegranate and bright floral notes meld together gracefully. The mid-weight style of the year is evident, but there is good energy in the glass. Silky, polished tannins round out the persistent, supple finish. The 2013 is 52% Cabernet Franc and 48% Merlot. Production will be around 45,000 bottles as opposed to the more typical 75-80,000

Decanter.com

17,75 / 20

par Steven Spurrier le 15/04/2014

53% Cabernet Franc. Ruby red. Quite intense aromatically - summer fruit  cocktail. Fine, smooth texture. Good mid-palate fruit. Tannins caressing.  Elegant wine with focused finish. Less depth but true to  style.    

My Bettane + Desseauve

18 / 20

le 15/04/2014

Représente 60 % de la production, avec 53 % de cabernet franc et 47 % de merlot. Nez très floral, pâte d’amande, souplesse racée, onctuosité délicate, l’acidité présente donne de la fraîcheur et pas de la raideur, énergie discrète. Très Cheval, très 2013.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/04/2014

The Cheval Blanc 2013 is a blend of 52% Cabernet Franc and 48% Merlot, representing around 60% of the total production. It has a complex bouquet, introverted at first with pure black, mineral rich fruit that feels as if it is holding everything back for later. The palate has commendable purity considering the growing season - certainly with no sign of greenness. It might lack a little flair, but it is very focused with fine tension on the linear finish. Whilst this might be construed as a conservative Cheval Blanc, the addition of all the parcels in the blend has created a very well balanced, engaging Saint Emilion, one that might deserve a higher score post-bottling.

Jamessuckling.com

93-94 / 100

par James Suckling le 08/04/2014

Seductive. This is incredibly floral, with violets, raspberries and hints of nutmeg. Full to medium body with a pretty density and freshness. Silky and refined. Velvety wine. Creamy. Attractive tannin backbone. Fascinating Cheval Blanc. Subtle. Reminds me of 1971 or a baby 2001. 52% cabernet franc and 48% merlot.

Wine Spectator

91-94 / 100

par James Molesworth le 03/04/2014

A lovely mix of red berry and blackberry fruit, with focused red currant, bergamot and black cherry notes. A twinge of mesquite, with a note of black tea, hangs on the finish. There's lovely perfume now, with subtle persistence through the finish. This opens steadily at it airs. Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Tasted non-blind.—J.M.

René Gabriel

17 / 20

par René Gabriel le 03/04/2014

52 % Cabernet Franc, 48 % Merlot. Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Verhaltenes Bouquet, man muss ihm entgegen gehen, im zweiten Ansatz viele herrliche Teearomen versprühend (Darjeeling und Earl Grey), Maulbeeren, Brombeeren, dunkle Edelhölzer, eine fein minzige Spitze darin zeigend. Im Gaumen samtig, weich, schöne Fülle, die Tannine sind fein und cremig, schön gebündelt im langen Finale,

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

par Roger Voss le 31/03/2014

This wine has an impressive depth of flavor for the vintage. Acidity and freshness show through the elegant tannins, giving the wine a stylish structure. It is not a powerful Cheval Blanc, but it is so finely balanced.