Château Cheval-Blanc - St.-Emilion 2017 (750ml)
Price: $720.00
| Producer | Château Cheval-Blanc |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | St Emilion |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend White |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Sku | 10574 |
| Size | 750ml |
Vinous: 97+ Points
A wine of sublime elegance and finesse the 2017 Cheval Blanc is endowed with tremendous energy precision and cut. Red/purplish fruit mint sage blood orange star anise and exotic spice notes abound in a mid-weight finely cut Cheval that dazzles with its energy. Technical Director Pierre-Olivier Clouet gave the 2017 26-27 days on skins. Because of severe frost damage in 2017 the Grand Vin includes a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) from gravelly soils which gives the wine very unusual flavor and structure profile. The 2017 Cheval Blanc has all the ingredients to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is class personified. Wow! - By Antonio Galloni on December 2020
The Wine Independent: 97 Points
At Cheval Blanc they lost 40% of the crop to frost in 2017 and couldn't use any of the second generation crop in the end. The final blend for the 2017 Cheval Blanc was 56% Merlot 29% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium to deep garnet in color it flies out of the glass with a fantastic array of gregarious scents - Morello cherries mulberries and raspberry coulis - plus suggestions of lilacs cinnamon toast vanilla pod and chocolate box. Medium-bodied the palate shimmers with beautiful energy and freshness framed by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness finishing long and perfumed. So pretty!
jdDecanter: 96 Points
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 50000 bottles of Cheval in 2017 compared to 116000 in 2016. 21hl/ha yield this year 75% destined for the grand vin. 04/18
Wine Spectator: 96 Points
Singed tobacco leaf and savory aromas lead the way giving this red a distinctive profile while dark currant fig and blackberry paste flavors form the core. Shows a loamy backdrop and a hint of cast iron throughout with the fruit and savory elements keeping pace. Ends with prominent tannic grip. For the cellar. Merlot Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2042. 10208 cases made.
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
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 Château 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.
Jeb Dunnuck: 96 Points
While the blend is shifted more towards Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in 2017 the Chateau Cheval Blanc is nevertheless a beautiful wine in every sense and shows the hallmark elegance and complexity of this estate perfectly. Deep ruby/purple with notes of ripe dark fruits violets rose petals and spice it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness ripe yet integrated tannins terrific mid-palate concentration and a great great finish. Based on 66% Merlot 29% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon give this incredibly floral seamless 2017 5-7 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades.
