2010 Ch. Cheval Blanc, St. Emilion

After seemingly years in the doldrums Cheval is back in the game! Producing a wine this year that is worthy of its Premier Grand Cru Classé and legendary status. There is a heavenly nose of warm, ripe, crunchy red summer berries and a multi-layered and exotic (but not at all pushed or forced) mouthfeel.

There is a great grip with fine chewy tannins and an exceptional finish that goes on until you get to St Emilion (about 5 mins away!) A true legend in the making, to rival its brilliant 1998 or 1982.
(56% Cabernet Franc, 44% Merlot. 14.5% abv)
(Simon Staples, BBR Fine Wine Director)
Château Cheval Blanc

The percentage of Merlot was down on 2009’s figure because of lower yields (28 hl per ha overall) and a green harvest, resulting in a thicker, more masculine wine. This is rich, almost monumental, with densely structured tannins and a slightly over-­ripe edge. To me, it doesn’t quite have the class of the 2009, but it may be a longer lived wine. The élevage will be crucial here.
(Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com, May 2011)

The 2010 Ch Cheval Blanc is a sublime wine. Fresh, floral, perfumed. More elegant and sensual than the ’09. Pure, sumptuous fruit. Refined texture and tannins. Lovely acidity for balance. Seamless.
(James Lawther MW- Decanter – Apr 2011)

56% Cabernet Franc, 44% Merlot. Meaty and savoury. Almost austere on the nose relative to how young Cheval usually tastes. Very youthful but aromatic, then lovely lusciousness on the palate. Recalls great old Chevals with that seductive freshness. Lovely dry finish. (Blend for 2009 was exactly the opposite.) Coulure affected Merlot in 2010. Lost lots of volume on Merlot. Great structure but also lovely floral seductive aroma. Opens out in the glass in the most convincing manner.
(Jancis Robinson MW- jancis robinson.com April 2011)

The 2010 is one of the most impressive two-year-old Cheval Blancs I have tasted in 34 years in this profession. The final blend of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot has the tell-tale berry/floral nose with subtle hints of menthol, blueberry, raspberry and flowers in addition to some forest floor and a delicate touch of lead pencil shavings. The wine exhibits more structure and density than it did from barrel, and it was already remarkable then. The foresty/floral notes seem to linger and linger in this surprisingly full-bodied, powerful Cheval Blanc, yet it possesses a very healthy pH that should ensure enormous longevity. Dense purple in color, and a bigger, richer wine than usual, this is one Cheval Blanc that will probably need a decade of cellaring. I like the description from the estate’s administrator, Pierre Lurton, who said it tasted like “liquid cashmere,” a perfect expression, despite the wine’s structure and intensity. This is another 50-year wine from this amazingly structured, rich vintage.
(100 Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- Feb 2013)

The 2010 Cheval Blanc contains 13.8% alcohol, which is very high for this estate, and has an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Franc in the final blend (56% versus 44% Merlot). Yields were tiny, adding to the richness and intensity already instilled by the drought of summer and resulting tiny berries. In the style of some of the great Cheval Blancs of the late 1940s, this wine is rich, opulent, full-bodied, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, as saturated purple in color as any Cheval Blanc I have seen. Mulberries, black currants, fresh minerals, and floral notes jump from the glass of this full-bodied, dense wine. With its tannins, good acidity and surprisingly modest pH, this should be an exceptionally long-lived wine, more backward and delineated than the fatter, more opulent 2009. Drink it over the next 30+ years.
(96-98+ Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- May 2011)

The Château Cheval-Blanc St.-Emilion 2010 is 60 percent Cabernet Franc and 40 percent Merlot, the exact opposite of the 2009 grand vin; it represents 62 percent of the crop. It’s lush and very rounded, with lots of muscle and heft, but great polish and pose to the gorgeous boysenberry, plum and fig notes. It’s super creamy on the finish, with bittersweet cocoa, violet, mint, anise and tobacco in reserve.
(James Molesworth - Wine Spectator - 30 Mar 2011)