Cheval Blanc 2017

A sense of forward motion here makes you smile - a reaction that's missing in many wines this year. The tannins push their way right through the palate, but cradle the cassis and bilberry fruit rather than smother it, helped by the fact that floral and smoky aromatics rise up. There's good persistency and you get that little kick and dance of minerality. The precision engineering is clear, but the overall feeling is simply of cohesion and enjoyment. 3.65ph. 100% new oak, but without a trace even now at this early stage. Approximately 60% of the wine this year came from the gravelly plots which were less affected by the frost, which accounts for a slightly higher level of Cabernet Sauvignon than usual. They used perhaps 1% of secondary budding in this blend (five weeks behind schedule at bud-break and then around 15 days by harvest) and kept picking from 15 September to 11 October - an extremely long schedule compared to most estates in 2017. With around 30% loss to frost, there will be 50,000 bottles of Cheval in 2017, compared to 116,000 in 2016. 21hl/ha yield this year, 75% destined for the grand vin. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040

Tangy and fresh on the palate. Relatively delicate on the nose. Fine, scented graphite and herbaceous nose, classic Cheval. Deep cherry red. Super-fresh and very fine texture. Paper-fine tannins. Perfect balance between the fruit and the framework. Smaller berries with higher tannins, apparently. Succulent, tender, fresh. Moreish and mouth-watering. Melts in the mouth and persists. Drink 2027-2042

The nose has charm fragrant some fresh fruits the palate is light at the start. Rich and ripe in the middle the fruit supported by fine tannins the layers of flavour give complexity. The finish has length sweetness yet freshness classic. 2027-42

There is a much more serious nose here than on the Petit Cheval with a lot more of the mid-palate richness which was missing on the second wine. The nose is rather deeper and the oak is prevalent but this is a much more discreet wine than expected. The fruit is smooth and rather spicy with some green notes and the tannins are dry but not astringent, this is a quiet Cheval Blanc and one which will be slow to evolve and always more discreet on the palate than the more bombastic wines.

The 2017 Cheval Blanc comes from 97% first generation grapes and 3% second generation from two-thirds of the vineyard, using a sorting table to select the ripest berries that were matured separately in small vats. The rejected second generation were sold off in bulk and not blended into the deuxième vin. There is a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and comparatively lower percentage of Cabernet Franc due to the frost damage. So this is a more Left Bank Cheval Blanc using more the gravel soils than clay since the latter are colder. It has a tightly wound, almost Saint Estèphe-inspired bouquet, with fresh blackberry, cedar, wet clay and light iris-like aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, masculine in style, less corpulent than the 2015 or 2016, stricter and more linear, a “cool” Cheval Blanc that eschews the florality of previous vintages with a saline, marine-tinged finish. This is a cerebral Cheval Blanc, not the greatest in recent years, but one of the most interesting to sit and think about (and then drink of course!). Drink 2024-2042.

This is tight and very tannic with a linear and steely backbone of texture. Full-bodied, compacted and complete. Muscular and flexing it but polished and toned. Wow. There is 6% cabernet sauvignon in the blend, which may be giving this even more strength. Very, very long. Very Left Bank in terms of the power and depth.

The blend this year is 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc and 56% Merlot, possessing an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cheval Blanc needs a fair bit of coaxing to reveal notions of plum preserves, redcurrant jelly, kirsch and red roses plus emerging nuances of aniseed, Sichuan pepper, pencil lead and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers impressive intensity with layer upon layer of red and black flavors with sparks of minerals and floral notes plus a firm line of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support, finishing very long and very fragrant. 2023-2055.

The 2017 Cheval Blanc is composed of 56% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon—an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon for this wine. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens slowly to reveal a gorgeous lilacs, roses, licorice and black truffles nose over a compelling core of cassis, warm plums, wild blueberries and cigar box plus a waft of wood smoke. Medium to full-bodied, firm and earthy in character on the palate, it packs in tightly wound fruits and mineral accents, culminating in a long, perfumed finish. 50,000 bottles are to be produced.