 | 2019 Ch. Cheval Blanc - Saint Emilion 1er GCC | € 420,00 (€ 508,20) |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Voor Cheval Blanc was 2019 de vierde droogste cyclus na 2005, 2015 en 2010, die niet toevallig allemaal perfecte 100-scores kregen. De oogst werd ingezet op 10 september met de Merlot en de laatste Cabernet Franc kwam binnen op 4 oktober. 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc en 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Een briljante Cheval Blanc wordt ons beloofd. Weinigen proefden tot nu toe, want stalen werden niet verstuurd tijdens de lockdown. We hopen nog te proeven. Pierre-Olivier Clouet draagt de obsessie voor kwaliteit in hem en klinkt alvast veelbelovend: « un millésime flamboyant », « solaire » et « chaud », à l’allure d’une « dame élégante et sensuelle ». De kaart die de wijngaard in 44 percelen verdeelt is ongewijzigd sinds 1871. Felle Cabernets en gedreven attentie voor detail maken hier het verschil. Gezien monocultuur een ecosysteem verarmt werd Cheval Blanc deels een geuse boerderij met 900 fruitbomen, een moestuin, 16 bijenkorven, 35 schapen en 200 kippen. De installaties zijn wondermooi. Er is maar één Cheval Blanc. IN DE PERS 98 Neal Martin - vinous.com (Februari 2022) The 2019 Cheval Blanc was picked from September 10 until October 4 at 41hL/ha. Pierre-Olivier Clouet said that it was important not to have too low a yield in order to maintain balance. This has an almost introspective nose at first, showing blackberry and touches of cassis, cedar and tobacco, plus a hint of wild mint in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh opening, and much livelier than the nose at the moment thanks to the superb tension, the Cabernets lending density in tandem with elegance. Quintessentially Cheval Blanc, but there is little doubt in my mind that it will take longer to come around than the 2018. Have a cellar handy, because this is a mighty Cheval Blanc from Pierre Lurton and his able team. Drink 2027-2054. 100 Antonio Galloni - vinous.com (Februari 2022) The 2019 Cheval Blanc is a stunning, riveting wine. There is simply nothing like a great Cheval in all of Bordeaux. Soaring aromatics are immediately alluring. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, espresso and dried herbs build in a Cheval that possesses tremendous layers and exceptional balance. Clean, mineral notes lend tension and drive. The 2019 is a bit strict today and not ready to show all its cards, but it is very clearly a special, special wine in the making. In 2019, the Grand Vin represents 82.5% of the estate's production, a very high amount by any measure. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2019 is an eternal Cheval Blanc. Drink 2034-2059. 100 William Kelley - robertparker.com (April 2022) One of the unequivocally great wines of the vintage is the 2019 Cheval Blanc, a stunning young Saint-Émilion that wafts from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with notions of lilac, pipe tobacco, violets, raw cocoa, licorice, crushed mint and burning embers. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's deep and intense, with beautifully rich, powdery tannins and vibrant flavors. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this rivals the 2016 as the finest Cheval Blanc of the decade, and in many respects it might be thought of as the latter vintage's sun-kissed cousin. Bravo to Pierre-Olivier Clouet and his team! Drink 2027-2055. One of Bordeaux's most complex terroirs, Cheval Blanc sits on the site of an ancient river delta, with (to generalize) clay-rich soils in the lower-lying parts where rivulets once flowed and gravel and sand elsewhere. This complexity is reflected, of course, in the resulting wine, but also in how it is farmed and made, with thoughtful use of cover crops according to soil type and parcel-by-parcel vinification. A concerted effort is being made, moreover, to bring life back to the vineyard, with hedges of native species to act as wildlife corridors, and fruit trees planted among the vines. The same attention to detail that's applied in the vineyards, for example with regard to developing and testing an in-house massal selection, is applied in the cellar, where cooperage trials are notable for their exigence. All of that shows in the glass. On my most recent visit, technical director Pierre-Olivier Clouet and I tasted the 2019 in the context of the last 10 vintages of Cheval Blanc, and it stood out even in such illustrious company, with—to my palate—2016 its only plausible rival for the title of Cheval Blanc of the decade. Readers with the requisite disposable income won't want to miss it. 98 Jane Anson – decanter.com (Juni 2020) Extremely precise floral and berry aromatics build out of the glass and this sense of construction continues through the palate. On the attack you get a whoosh of powerful blueberry and blackberry, with sage, woodsmoke and crushed stone, all cut cleanly through, exposing juicy minerality and a feel of different elements layering on top of each other. 82% 1st wine in this vintage. Harvest from September 10, picking only in the mornings for two weeks (the only three plots of Merlot that were brought in after the September rains are in Petit Cheval). Biodiversity is blooming at Cheval right now - 40 brebis goats and sheep since October 2019, alongside pigs, 200 Bresse chicken, 40 egg-laying chickens and 16 beehives. They have planted 850 fruit trees this winter among the vines, and no longer work the soils. Less Cabernet Franc in the vineyard until 2022 due to replanting. Drinking Window: 2027 – 2044. 100 James Suckling - jamessuckling.com (Februari 2022) 97 James Molesworth - winespectator.com (Februari 2022) 18/20 James Lawther MW – jancisrobinson.com (Juni 2020) 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 82% of production. Barrel sample. Aromatically a little more reserved than the 2018 at this stage. But ripe, intense and flickeringly floral. Beautifully poised on the palate with a density of fruit and silky texture of finely matted tannins. Pure, seductive and persistent, the finish long and digeste. A super Cheval Blanc but 2018 may just have the edge. Drink 2027 – 2050. 98 Jean-Marc Quarin – quarin.com (Juni 2020) IN DE WOORDEN VAN DE WIJNMAKER Dès le premier nez, la complexité aromatique s’impose, le vin exprime tout le raffinement apporté par une climatologie optimale. La proportion importante de merlots apporte ce fruité rouge et noir particulièrement intense. La pureté aromatique et la précision du nez impressionnent, avec des notes de framboises, cerises, mûres, cassis, le tout dans un univers balsamique, pâtissier, subtilement sucrant. La gourmandise et la complexité aromatique dominent clairement le nez. Il y a une belle justesse, de la pureté et de la précision, le vin est croquant et juteux, et reflète parfaitement la sensation du raisin frais pendant les dégustations à la parcelle. Une très jolie attaque pleine est signée par l’influence du merlot dans le millésime, où l’onctuosité, l’aspect enveloppant et tapissant de la bouche dominent. Le cabernet franc apporte une grande fraicheur en milieu de bouche et donne de l’allonge à la dégustation. C’est un vin à la fois dense, puissant, mais aussi tendre, onctueux, gras. Profondeur, longueur et équilibre sont les signatures du millésime et l’identité du cru. Cheval BlancCheval Blanc is één van de meest gerespecteerde wijnen in Bordeaux. De wijngaard zet de toon in Saint Emilion met een imposante oppervlakte van 37 hectare. Toch vertoont hij er een apart karakter, enerzijds omwille van zijn ligging (een grachtje scheidt hem van Pomerol) en anderzijds, omwille van de aangeplante cépages. Met 58% Cabernet Franc - de rest is Merlot - ontplooit Cheval Blanc zijn ware aard pas over een langere termijn. Imponeren doet hij met gedrevenheid en elegantie, zonder overdaad of overdondering. De beste flessen worden gevonden in de wijnjaren 1921, 1947, 1990, 2000, 2009 en 2010. De 1947 en 2010 kregen een perfecte Parkerscore. Kortom, Cheval Blanc staat voor majesteit. Het is één van “the Big Eight”, de acht meest vermaarde historische Châteaux van Bordeaux. Die benaming groepeert de Premiers van de Médoc (Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Margaux alsook Haut Brion in Pessac), Ausone eveneens in Saint Emilion, Petrus in Pomerol en Yquem in Sauternes. Samen met Ausone, Pavie en Angélus draagt Cheval Blanc de titel van Premier Grand Cru Classé “A”. Eigenaars Bernard Arnault en Baron Frère vertrouwen de leiding toe aan Pierre Lurton. Hij wordt bijgestaan door een dreamteam van technici met onder meer Pierre-Olivier Clouet en Professor Kees Van Leeuwen. Hun toewijding is groot. Cheval Blanc domineert het landschap zeker na de recente bouwwerken geleid door architect Christian de Portzamparc. Au XVIII° siècle, l’actuel terroir de Cheval Blanc comportait une importante surface de vignes, comme l’atteste une carte de Belleyme, datée en 1764. Près d’un siècle plus tard, la propriété est acquise par la famille Fourcaud-Laussac qui la conservera jusqu’en 1998, et la cèdera alors à Monsieur Bernard Arnault et au Baron Albert Frère. La propriété forme un ensemble homogène d’un seul tenant, à la limite de l’appellation Pomerol.
|