Château Cheval Blanc Saint Emilion 2004

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BN#167321

Château Cheval Blanc

Powerful, without aggressiveness, spherical, silky, always with elegance and breed, a core of Cabernet Franc enveloped with Merlot, the wine of Cheval Blanc approaches the style of a Pomerol without quite resembling a Saint Emilion. With its freshness and cashmere-soft tannins, it ages marvellously, expressing the effect of its terroir, which makes it more and more complex and subtle.

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 Barrel Sample. This is certainly one of the stars of the vintage. With its solid tannins and dark, smoky character, it is going to be powerful, but with such elegance. The fruit flavors combine richness and freshness in fine harmony.

Score: 96. —Roger Voss, June 01, 2005.

Wine Spectator

Intense aromas of tar, blackberry and wet earth, with just a hint of tobacco and flowers. Full-bodied, chewy and long. Extracted, yet turns caressing and velvety in texture. Broad-shouldered and muscular for this estate. Better than the 2000. Best after 2012.

Score: 94. —James Suckling, March 31, 2007.

Wine Advocate

Eighty thousand bottles of 2004 Cheval Blanc were produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. Subtle herb, menthol, cranberry, black currant, and licorice aromas emerge from this dark ruby/plum-colored wine. It is medium-bodied and elegant with plenty of sweet fruit, but not a lot of weight or intensity. The complexity and nobility of Cheval Blanc’s gravelly terroir is apparent in this delicate, subtle St.-Emilion. Give it a few years to develop additional aromatics, and drink it over the following 12-15.

Score: 90. —Robert Parker, June 2007.