Wine Advocate
par Robert Parker le 31/08/1993
The 1989 is an excellent wine, but I had expected more power, depth, and intensity than the wine currently reveals. The big, very precocious, forward bouquet displays aromas of herbs, tobacco, sweet blackcurrants, and the telltale smoky, exotic character that often sets Cheval Blanc apart. The wine tastes like candy, given its sweet palate impression. There is excellent depth, but when you compare the 1989 with the 1990, 1986, 1985, 1983, and 1982 (the best vintages of the eighties), the 1989 does not possess similar concentration or complexity. If the 1989 Cheval Blanc does indeed broaden out and take on an extra dimension of flavor and character, my rating will look ungenerous. Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. Last tasted, 6/93.