2022 Cheval Blanc
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Tasting notes
Cheval Blanc is extraordinary in 2022. Although it was the warmest ever growing season according to their records, Pierre-Olivier Clouet feels that the fact it was hot and dry from the beginning allowed the vines to manage their reserves – comparing it to running a marathon. While the final wine has the highest pH they’ve ever seen (3.86pH), it shows an amazing sense of freshness that doesn’t match the numbers. The nose proffers lifted, floral and fresh, herbaceous aromatics, with a vibrant, crunchy-fruited intensity. The palate is almost ethereal, with a weightlessness that is found in all the most masterful wines this year – but behind that body is layer upon layer of complexity and flavour. The tannins are sweet yet almost unbelievably fine-boned, creating a sense of delicacy. A modest 13.9% alcohol, the wine is 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 100% new oak as normal. As one of our team said, this is like “a caged tiger” – combining power and elegance, just waiting to be released… bravo!
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2022 Cheval Blanc has a tightly wound bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone and tea leaves, well defined with an assiduous use of oak. The palate is medium-bodied with a very smooth entry, fine acidity and very harmonious, with just a little savouriness on the mid-palate. Some Cabernet Franc in the blend? Just the right amount of dryness and structure on the finish maintains freshness and leaves you wanting more. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.
The 2022 Château Cheval Blanc has turned out beautifully in bottle, bursting from the glass with aromas of minty mulberries, licorice and rose petals mingled with hints of pipe tobacco and baking chocolate. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it's layered and unctuous, with sweet, powdery tannins and a broad, enveloping profile, concluding with a long, fragrant finish. Flamboyant but controlled, this blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon spent only 12 months in barrique. There's no Petit Cheval this year, as what little wasn't deemed up to the level of the grand vin was sold off in bulk.
The 2022 Château Cheval Blanc is based on 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up all in new oak, and this is the second year where no Petite Cheval was produced. (2015 was the last.) Its deep purple color is followed by a riveting Cheval Blanc that has fabulous aromatics of blackcurrants, spice, flowers, spicy wood, and white truffle. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, remarkably pure, elegant, seamless 2022 that has a layered, rounded mouthfeel, absolutely riveting purity, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It brings to mind a more refined, elegant version of the 2010 and is every bit its equal. Hitting 14% alcohol with a healthy pH of 3.83, it warrants a solid decade of bottle age and will have 40-50+ years of overall prime drinking.
About the producer
Ch. Cheval Blanc is one the finest producers in Bordeaux. The Saint-Emilion estate’s Cabernet Franc-dominant wines are consistently among the top wines of the vintage.