x
  • Country ranking ?

    116
  • Producer ranking ?

    8
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Grilled Steak and Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

Whether by design or by pure chance, there are in the world exceptional places. Cheval Blanc is one of these. Combining a unique soil with a symbiotic mix of grape varieties, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, Cheval Blanc produces a wine, which has the rare quality of being good at any age. It is without doubt one of the most consistent wines in the world. Cheval Blanc's unique identity is due to its varied soils, early-ripening microclimate, the percentage of Cabernet Franc in the vineyard, and the close proximity of the finest wines of Pomerol.

Château Cheval Blanc has the rare ability to be good at whatever age. It is enjoyable young or as much as a century old in certain vintages. However, a great wine only reveals its full potential and all its subtle nuances after several years in bottle. It takes time to show its true colours and before reaching its peak. Every vintage of Cheval Blanc is made according to the traditional philosophy that great wine needs to age.
It should nevertheless be said that wines with ageing potential go through several periods, and that each one has its own type of attractiveness. This is all part of Château Cheval Blanc's fascinating complexity. Three different bottles of Cheval Blanc from the same vintage drunk at five, twenty, and forty years of age will each show a different facet of the same wine, variations on the same lovely theme. A bottle of fine wine meant to age is like a library of flavours that develop throughout its existence.
Wine is a "cultural" beverage that is very much alive and develops countless nuances over time. That is why this long waiting period needs to be respected. It is crucial to the wine's evolution, so that it can deliver its very best.

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Wine Information

The spring 2000 was mild and wet through until mid-May. After a hot, dry month of June,July was rainy once again. Then came a long, dry period starting on 27th July and lasting until the end of the harvests. Although wet springs mean pressure from downy mildew at the star t of the vegetation cycle, flowering went smoothly thanks to the return of dry weather from 17th May onwards.
The dry weather in August and September brought growth to an early halt (mid-August),getting the grape ripening process off to a good
start.This continued in the best conditions possible thanks to the excellent weather in late summer.

The ripe grapes were remarkably balanced, with particularly high sugar and anthocyanin content, despite rather heavier grapes than in 98 and 99. The quality of the grapes was consistent throughout the vineyard. The grapes were harvested in sunny conditions from 14th to 29th September, with just one day's rain on the 20th. The blend for Cheval Blanc was 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Franc. Despite consistent quality levels, strict selection was carried out to guarantee an excellent 2000 vintage.

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Vintage 2000

Weather conditions / The 2000 vintage was proclaimed from the start as one of the best vintages of modern times. In the spring of 2003, I had many opportunities to find out if we really had a true dream vintage on our hands.

During the 2000 harvest, while doing a “personal inspection” in the vineyards, I noticed that something extraordinary was on the way. The grapes looked extremely healthy.

While the sorting table was rolling, I observed that there were few leaves, stems and weeds among the grapes. This is why sorting the grapes was so easy and quick. This must be one of the characteristics of the 2000 vintage, because normally even great vintages require a lot of work at the sorting table.

 

The 2000 vintage is a classic, extravagant and extremely long Bordeaux with dark and extremely dense wines, which have a huge concentration of fruit, length and superbly concentrated tannins. The tannin is not allowed to dominate, as it is well enveloped by the fruit. A scent of under-ripeness is only present in a few wines. One of the hallmarks of this vintage is an intense, deep aroma of dark berries, such as blueberries, blackberries and black cherries.

All red grape varieties have reached perfect maturity, including Bordeaux's most temperamental and unruly grape variety, Petit Verdot. Petit Verdot brings to wines the long-awaited addition of backbone and power.

Additionally, the grapes for whites, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle, ripened perfectly and produced extremely fine dry white wines. The sweet white wines have unfortunately transformed into some light, elegant and charming wines, based 100% on the September harvest. From October 11, it rained a lot in Bordeaux and this continued until the end of the year.

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Average Bottle Price

2017 2015 2010 2005
698€ -4.6% 732€ -40.0% 1 219€ +122.0% 549€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Latest Pro-tasting notes

14 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Light and Purple

ending

Long, Lingering and Spicy

flavors

Blackcurrant, Coffee, Toasty, Mineral and Floral

nose

Intense

recommend

Yes

taste

Complex, Well-structured, Medium-bodied, Ripe and Firm

Written Notes

Tasted twice - last time in May 2019. It displayed lots of blueberries, blackberries and dark cherries. Silky and soft tannin and gorgeous sweetness of fruit. Magnificent depth, incredibly many nuances and refinement combined with fantastic length on the palate. Masterly made wine, which will delight wine-lowers for many decades to come because of its exceptional balance. This was in 2003 when this wine was just a little baby. 16 years later, this wine is still kicking ass, a monumental one, still timeless and seamless. At least 50 years more to experience a dream of the vintage!

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Information

Origin

St. Emilion, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Good

Fake factory

None

Glass time

3h
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