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Château Cheval Blanc Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classe 2022

Reviews

100 -Jeb Dunnuck -

The 2022 Château Cheval Blanc is based on 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up all in new oak, and this is the second year where no Petite Cheval was produced. (2015 was the last.) Its deep purple color is followed by a riveting Cheval Blanc that has fabulous aromatics of blackcurrants, spice, flowers, spicy wood, and white truffle. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, remarkably pure, elegant, seamless 2022 that has a layered, rounded mouthfeel, absolutely riveting purity, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It brings to mind a more refined, elegant version of the 2010 and is every bit its equal. Hitting 14% alcohol with a healthy pH of 3.83, it warrants a solid decade of bottle age and will have 40-50+ years of overall prime drinking.

100 -Falstaff -

Deep dark ruby in colour with an opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, aromas of delicate smoky spices, dark cherry, a hint of ripe plum, a touch of nougat, and some candied orange zest in the background. The elegant palate is firm and juicy with ripe tannins, hints of cherry and clove, and a touch of nougat on the saline mineral finish which has verve and length. Already very harmonious, this wine has enormous ageing potential, designed to last decades.

100 -The Wine Independent -

There was no Petit Cheval in this vintage, the majority of the crop going into Cheval Blanc, taking 78% of the harvest, while 22% was sold as bulk wine (which was almost all press wine which is never included in the blend at Cheval Blanc) and there was not sufficient volume to create a Petit Cheval. A groundbreaking harvest here, beginning August 29th, the first time the Cheval Blanc harvest has begun before the arrival of September. The blend is 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the élevage was shorter than usual, amounting to just 13 months, in 100% new 225-litre oak barrels. It was bottled in May, a couple of months ahead of schedule. This is just glorious on the nose, expressive but with fabulous perfume, with dense raspberry and red cherry fruits, with rosehips, vanilla and toast, pure and just leaping from the glass. The palate is beautifully composed, just so elegant and precise, with toasted summer berries, wrapped in pencil shavings and a touch of coffee bean, but the most significant finding here is one of beautifully coherent and elegant harmony, the wine filled with defined Cabernet energy, beneath which there is a fresh and peppery core of tannins. I see not a single hair out of place;overall this is a stunning Cheval Blanc, I think probably the most convincing and energetic young vintage I can recall tasting, and it is one you should leave in your cellar for a very long time before broaching. Perfection. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 14%.

99 -Wine Spectator -

Loganberry, boysenberry and blackberry compote notes give the core an almost outsized feel, but there's restraint and focus, as touches of warm loam, licorice root and smoldering tobacco keep this well-grounded. There's cut and drive too, even though this is dense and slow-moving, with alder smoke, Turkish coffee and bittersweet cocoa checking in. Then a lilting black tea and violet backdrop emerges at the very end, adding grace and sensuality. A marvelous expression of a distinctive vintage. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2028 through 2050. 6,845 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.

99 -James Suckling -

Extremely perfumed, showing red roses and violets as well as hints of flower stems. A touch of sandalwood. This turns to blue fruits with such pure grape character, like smelling must. Savory, light brine and black olives. The palate is tight and refined before taking off at the end. The perfectly integrated tannins melt into the wine, giving it fascinating tension and intensity. 53% merlot, 46% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon. Drink after 2028.

99 -Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider -

Garnet with purple accents in the color. The wine offers blackberries, black cherries, violets, chocolate, saffron, smoke, licorice, and orange rind nuances in the perfume. The palate is even more expressive. Regardless of what you have heard or expect, this is a gentle Cheval Blanc. The wine starts off slowly, and builds on the palate in intensity, slowly, but steadily. The wine manages to be as refined as it is concentrated, remaining perfectly balanced. The experience is seamless. The purity in the fruit is striking. The finish sees the 60 second mark and without a care in the world, keeps on going leaving you with layers of silky, sexy, sensuous fruits that linger long after the wine has left the glass. The wine is made from 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.9% ABV, 3.8 pH. The harvest took place August 29 - September 6 for the Merlot. The Cabernet Franc September 12 - September 20. Yields were only 27 hectoliters per hectare. Please note that no second wine was produced in 2022. Make no mistake, this is one of the great vintages of Cheval Blanc, and that is really saying something. Drink from 2027-2065.

99 -Jane Anson -

Expressive aromatic profile, generous structure. The Cabernet Franc pulls its weight in terms of tension and freshness, infusing the luscious fruits with mint, roses and peony. Showcasing the opulent side of Cheval Blanc while retaining a finesse and classic uplift, pulses of electricity, as ever careful construction and just a ton of utter pleasure, harvest 29 August to 20 September, earliest ever, 3.8ph, 28hl/h yield. No Petit Cheval, and first year since stepping back from the classification.

98 -Wine Enthusiast -

98 -Decanter -

Extremely aromatic - floral and perfumed with rich dark black fruits, liquorice, crayon, blueberries, and purple flowers, lifted by hints of mint. Fresh and vibrant from the start, this has a defined core with tension and structure. Velvety soft tannins and precise, mouthwatering fruit with a creamy touch that adds to its sumptuous feel. Juicy and clean, with a vein of liquorice spice that adds seriousness. With air, it softens and becomes more chewy and round — gentle yet utterly moreish. Graphite minerality lingers on the finish. A charged yet charming Cheval Blanc that will benefit from air to fully express itself. 78% grand vin, no Petit Cheval with the remaining 22% (press wine) sold as bulk. 3.83pH.

98 -Raffaele Vecchione, WinesCritic.com -

Extremely fascinating, sneaky, captivating, dishonestly composed. Notes of black cherries, black plums and wet earth create the main scene of the sensory matrix. These chameleon nuances of bergamot, licorice, face powder, crushed stone, elderflower and cinnamon, mandarins and ginger alternate, giving a complexity of a select few. Full body, perfectly ripe and extracted tannins, climax of sensations on the palate, closes with a progressive and tasty finish. Lots of material and dark character for this version of Cheval Blanc that aims to be undoubtedly among the best ever. Better from 2030.

Technical Details

Blend 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker Pierre Lurton & Pierre-Olivier Clouet
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Sub Region Right Bank
Appellation Saint-Émilion
Vineyard Estate vineyards of Château Cheval Blanc, Premier Grand Cru Classé A
Farming Method Organic & Biodynamic Practices
Oak 100% new French oak barriques
Aging / Cooperage 13 months
Alcohol 13.5%
Production 6,845 cases

Château Cheval Blanc Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classe 2022

Name: Château Cheval Blanc Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classe 2022
Brand: First Bottle
SKU: 1008514
Price: 599.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Bordeaux Blends | Bordeaux

JD100, FS100, TWI100, WS99, JS99, JL99, JA99, WE98, DC98, RV98

Organic & Biodynamic Practices

$1,000.00

$599.00

750ML

40% OFF RETAIL!

There are vintages, and then there are vintages. The 2022 Château Cheval Blanc is in a league of its own. No Petit Cheval was produced, with 100% of the estate’s harvest committed to the Grand Vin, and 46 of the 47 parcels that make up the estate used in the final blend, the highest proportion ever. The wine is 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, raised entirely in new oak. Jeb Dunnuck awarded 100, describing a riveting Cheval Blanc with fabulous aromatics of blackcurrants, spice, flowers, spicy wood, and white truffle, full-bodied with an effortless mouthfeel, flawlessly balanced, and a wine he called among the greatest he had ever encountered at this address. Farr Vintners awarded 100, as did The Wine Independent. Wine Spectator awarded 99, calling it a marvelous expression of a distinctive vintage. James Suckling 99, James Lawther 99, Jane Anson 99, Wine Enthusiast 98, Decanter 98, and Rupert Valentini 98. Wine Advocate gave it 98, describing it as bursting from the glass with aromas of minty mulberries, licorice, and rose petals. Vinous 97. One independent observer called it “perhaps the greatest Cheval Blanc ever produced.” Three perfect scores. Nine critics in the high 90s. The price here is exceptional for a wine of this historical significance. These are very limited. This is the moment.

About The Producer

Few wines on earth carry the weight of Cheval Blanc. Carved out of the eastern corner of Saint-Émilion in 1832 — originally part of the massive Figeac estate — the property was shaped into its current form by the Laussac-Fourcaud family, who planted an unusually high proportion of Cabernet Franc on the estate's rare gravel soils and guided the wine to global renown. The Laussac-Fourcauds held it for over 150 years before selling to Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère in 1998, with LVMH eventually assuming a 50% stake in 2009. Pierre Lurton has led the estate for decades, overseeing a striking new winery (inaugurated in 2011) and the ongoing cultivation of 39 hectares split roughly 52% Cabernet Franc and 43% Merlot. In a notable move, Cheval Blanc withdrew from the Saint-Émilion classification in 2022, citing concerns about the system's direction — a decision that surprised no one who understands how far beyond any ranking this wine has always lived.

$1,000.00

$599.00

750ML

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