Cheval Blanc 2017

This is a special Cheval-Blanc with blackcurrants, blueberries and hints of fresh herbs, tobacco and cedar. Full-bodied, very powerful and muscular with lots of tannins. The higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon (15% instead of 5%) makes it structured. Give it time to come together. Better after 2022.

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!)

Frost affected part of the Cheval Blanc vineyard and as a result their harvest was one of the most drawn out, finishing on the 11th October. Pierre-Olivier Clouet, the talented winemaker talked about the hard work this vintage took and tasting the wine, you can see that efforts have paid off. Deep crimson colour, silky glossy texture, vibrant, fresh cassis flavours as a result of more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and great tannic persistence. The wine is very persistent and exciting in the finish.

3% of the grand vin made up of the second-generation (post frost) buds. More Cabernet Sauvignon than usual because the Cabernet Franc was more frosted. 56% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon (usually 6–7%). Harvested 6 September to 8 October. The grand vin was 77% of the production. 50,000 bottles will be produced.
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.