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  • Country ranking ?

    69
  • Producer ranking ?

    4
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040
  • Food Pairing

    casseroles of lamprey and of shad & Bordeaux style

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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This was a hot year in which the grapes reached a perfect degree of ripeness. The resulting wine is thus dark-coloured, smooth, deep, and intense.

2009 Cheval Blanc has an intense crimson colour and a subtle bouquet that is both fruity and flora. It also displays notes of fresh fig, blackberry, and red fruit such as raspberry, as well as hints of violet found in great vintages.

The wine is delightful on the palate thanks to its power, richness, body, and concentration. Blessed with superb balance, 2009 Cheval Blanc displays an incredible combination of power, delicacy, ripeness, and freshness. Complete and complex, it is above all smooth.

A vintage to age for a very long time, its complex bouquet will undoubtedly blossom over time. The wine's intrinsic freshness and power will undoubtedly remain unchanged.

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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

2009 was a warm, dry year, but not to excess. Wonderfully ripe grapes account for this very great vintage of Château Cheval Blanc which is tremendously smooth with impressive concentration and exuberant richness.  This wine leaves a strong impression and will continue to do so for many years​.

The vegetation cycle started in rainy conditions, followed by a long period of drought from mid-July through to mid-September.

After two days of rain on 19th and 20th September, the weather was remarkably dry and settled until the end of October. Over the course of the vegetation cycle, temperatures were slightly higher than normal. The months of June, August and September were quite hot, alternating with remarkably cool nights.

Budburst came at the end of March for the Merlot and in early April on the Cabernet Franc vines.
Flowering and veraison came very close together. The first plots of Merlot were harvested from 15th September onwards. The Cabernet Franc was picked between 28th September and 7th October. The changeable weather early on in the season required careful monitoring to avoid any contamination by downy mildew.

The risks then receded, however, as the dry weather settled in July. Water stress slowed down growth of the shoots and limited the size of the grapes, two essential conditions to make a great vintage.Leaf-stripping was carried out on the east-facing side of the rows as soon as flowering had finished. Thinning was also carried out twice, once on berry set to spread the bunches out over the vines, and again on veraison to ensure more consistent ripeness levels. The grapes were harvested in a condition close to perfection. During harvesting, each of the plots reached ideal ripeness levels thanks to the goodweather. Grape-picking was staggered, harvesting each plot only when daily tasting ofthe grapes showed it was really ready.

Drought conditions in July and August contributed to making the grapes more concentrated,while the mild temperatures in August and September helped them reach excellent ripeness levels.Cool nights in July, August and September preserved all the freshness and aromatic complexity of the harvest. Put these three factors together and you get a great vintage. When harvest time came, the ripeness of the grapes was amazingly consistent, and they had great balance, always the sign of a perfectly ripe crop.

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Vintage 2009

Much like 1947, 1961 and 2005, 2009 is a year of almost overly (for Bordeaux) flamboyant and opulent wines with high maturity and low acidity. The tannins are exceptionally ripe, while the wines are quite voluptuous in style. The Left Bank recorded more hours of sunshine than legendary vintages such as 1947 and 1982, and the grapes had higher sugar concentrations than in 2003 and 2005. The key was significant diurnal temperature variations that allowed the grapes to withstand hot daytime temperatures. An exceptional vintage on all levels.

 

 

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Average Bottle Price

2017 2015 2013
673€ -2.7% 692€ -9.5% 765€

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.

Tasting note

color

Deep, Ruby red and Bright

ending

Long, Round and Pure

flavors

Blackcurrant, Vanilla, Leather, Earthy, Mineral and Dried-fruit

nose

Youthful, Fresh, Opulent and Refined

taste

Perfectly balanced, Concentrated, Well-structured, Youthful, Full-bodied, Firm, Harmonious and Perfumed

Verdict

Sophisticated and Impressive

Written Notes

Good looking normal size bottle and has by the neck level. Colour is ruby red, and looking bright and deep. On the nose it is wide, youthful, refined, fresh and opulent. The taste is perfumed, firm, powerful, harmonious, full-bodied, with perfectly balanced, well-structured, concentrated structure and youthful. On the palate it is layered and has perfumed, leather, mineral, spice, viscous, tropical fruits, blackcurrant, vanilla, earthy and dried-fruit flavours. The finish is long, round, lingering and pure. This wine is sophisticated, impressive and fine. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 20-30 years and decant at least over 4h before tasting.
  • 97p

 What a wine! The nose is enough to win over any wine lover with its display of flowers, cocoa, dark red, and black fruits, earth, and spices. But, as good as the perfume is, it is on the seamless palate with its opulent, exotic, display of silk and velvet textures that is the perfect backdrop for more than 60 seconds of perfectly ripe fruits that express a sense of purity, elegance and yes, sex appeal. Still young, this is a future legend. Drink from 2023-2050.

  • 99p

The 2009 Cheval Blanc has a surprisingly understated bouquet that unfurls in the glass with perfumed, quite floral aromas of rose petal and violet that complement the red cherries, cranberry and wild strawberry. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, the Cabernet Franc component expressive with brown spice and ferrous notes infusing the fruit. This is a lovely Cheval Blanc although to be honest, this bottle is a little more forward than I anticipated. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits Ten Year On tasting.

  • 96p

60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc. 85% of the total went into the grand vin – they were so pleased, especially with the Merlot. Very rich and comfortable on the nose. Very juicy. Dry finish. Very serious wine. Lots of layers and a dry finish. Pretty long – opens out on the finish. But it’s not a knocker-off-of-socks and has rather more classic Cheval character than some recent vintages. It's really quite subtle – but then there's no over-the-top ripeness, which is a relief. Rather contained and pretty. The challenge on the right bank after all was to keep it all in check... (compared with the left bank, which could wallow more in the extra ripeness). Certainly not that sweet... Almost like a child told to concentrate and do its piano practice.

  • 95p

Reminding me a little of the 2015, the 2009 Cheval Blanc is another powerful yet elegant wine that tops out on my scale. A huge nose of kirsch, cassis, flowery spices, forest floor, and tobacco all give way to a full-bodied, sweetly fruited 2009 that has no hard edges, perfect balance, integrated, perfectly ripe tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s one of those magical wines that carries enormous richness and depth yet stays weightless and ethereal on the palate. Bravo!

  • 100p

Super-spicy, this is an extremely elegant 2009 with enormous concentration and finesse. The complex finish lights up the sky and you wonder how this spectacular ripeness could have been more perfectly expressed.

  • 99p

Tasted in May 2019. I remember this wine being a bit bland from the barrel, but which changed much to better after bottling. In April 2014, this wine had a great aromatic nose of black cherries mixed with grated Varlhona chocolate, excellent acidity and minerality, velvety structure, strong backbone, fruit and tannin had excellent ripeness and fatness.Great sophisticated touch. In May 2019, it was still young and a bit closed, but with same characteristics. Great, great potential!

  • 98p

Super-spicy, this is an extremely elegant 2009 with enormous concentration and finesse. The complex finish lights up the sky and you wonder how this spectacular ripeness could have been more perfectly expressed. Drink or hold.

  • 99p

Ruby. Intense, fruity, floral, spices, layered, so much more open right away than the 2010 a few weeks back, yet almost more depth and fragrance. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, layered, lush, smooth, superb texture, peacock tail. Incredible. 100

  • 100p

It will be fascinating to follow the evolution of the 2009 Cheval Blanc versus the 2010 as well as the awesome 2005, 2000, 1998 and 1990. This famous estate’s vineyard is situated at the juncture of Pomerol and the sandy, gravelly soils of St.-Emilion, facing the two noble estates of l’Evangile and La Conseillante. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2009 Cheval Blanc tips the scales at just under 14% natural alcohol. Its dense blue/purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary nose of incense, raspberries, cassis, sweet forest floor and a subtle hint of menthol. Opulent and full-bodied with low acidity but no sense of heaviness, this dense, unctuously textured, super-smooth, velvety, pure, profound Cheval Blanc is impossible to resist despite its youthfulness.

  • 99p

Intense spices, cedar, tobacco, blackberries. This is a phenomenal wine with complex layers of flavours that unveil itself from the onset. The nose is enticing with its numerous sweet spices and cedar, earthy notes. A very impressive Cheval Blanc with a very long finish and a long life ahead. Keep at least 10 years before enjoying.

  • 99p
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Information

Origin

St. Emilion, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

Be Cautious

Glass time

2h
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