2008 Château Cheval Blanc
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Tasting notes
The 2008 Cheval Blanc is one of the go-to wines of the vintage. Now at 15 years old, it has retained the energy and focus it displayed from the outset: black fruit, crushed stone, wilted violet petals and touches of forest floor cohere wonderfully in the glass. The Cabernet here is more expressive. The palate has a slight chewiness on the entry, but it "relaxes" in the glass. It shows off its delicate lattice of tannins and perhaps a bit more backbone than I have observed on previous bottles. It's very intense on the finish where, as before, the Cabernet Franc takes charge. Superb. Keep it another three to four years if you can. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. First bottle: TCA. Second bottle: Smells of dried grasses. Focused and fresh but without great concentration. A bit inky on the end. Finishes a bit suddenly. Sour. But I may be under-scoring this. (JR)
Quite suppressed on the nose, with a tight, dark-fruit profile and bitter-savoury notes on the finish. Very different to the Ausone just tasted – austere by comparison, and with a sense of density that is rather unwieldy at present – but should relax with age. (RH)
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.