Appellations

Cheval Blanc 2020

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé A

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Tasting Notes

The 2020 Cheval Blanc is eternal, seamless and exceptionally beautiful. All the elements are so well put together. Rose petal, blood orange, raspberry jam and cinnamon all take shape in the glass. Above all else, the 2020 Cheval Blanc is a wine of mind-blowing balance. Hints of mocha, raspberry jam, pomegranate and spice emerge with time in the glass. Cheval is quite simply one of the truly great wines of the vintage.

Score: 99 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2070 Date: 23 February 2023

Intense, indelible, with layer upon layer of blueberry, raspberry, pomegranate, fennel, liqourice, crayon, espresso, crushed rocks, just so much character and poise. The driest year at Cheval Blanc since 1959, with 71% of production from the 39ha estate in this wine, technical director Pierre Olivier Clouet. This continues to be bottled as Premier Grand Cru Classé A until the 2022 vintage, following its withdrawal from the ranking,which will make an interesting footnote for collectors I would imagine, but makes zero difference to the brilliance of what is in the bottle.

Score: 100 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2050 Date: 15 February 2023

Retasting this in June, so just a few months after my initial En Primeur tasting, and once again the ovreall feeling is that this is a nuanced, concentrated and briliant wine at the top level of what we find from Cheval Blanc. Long-limbed and holding on tight, this is layered with fennel, cassis, raspberry, mint leaf, violets and peonies. Plenty of tannins, as you would expect from such a dry year, but they are full of life, with acidity that pulls the palate forward from the first moment. 71% of overall production. The driest year at Cheval Blanc for 50 years. A potential 100 points when tasted in bottle in 2022.

Score: 98 - 100 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2032-2055 Date: 22 September 2021

Spice, anis, rosemary, blackcurrant leaf, redcurrants, mint and peonies - the full array of aromatics are on display here, and there is an enveloping aspect to the fruit once you get to the body of the wine. The tannins are compact and powerful but they are wrapped in plump raspberry and blackberry brambled fruits. The wine feels full of life, with acidity that pulls the palate forward from the first moment, before austerity kicks in on the finish and closes things in, suggesting an extremely long life ahead. Hard to argue with this. 71% of overall production. The driest year at Cheval Blanc for 50 years (since 1959). Could go up after tasting in bottle, a potential 100 points. 98-100.

Score: 98 - 100 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2028 - 2048 Date: 01 May 2021

The 2020 Cheval Blanc contains a little more Merlot than other vintages, probably anomalous to other estates on the Right Bank. This was bottled at the beginning of July. It has almost clinical delineation on the nose. The 2020 is extremely well-focused, with subtle pressed iris and violet scents embroidered into the predominantly black fruit - quite serious in style. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins, black fruit laced with blueberry, just a hint of brine and a composed, saline finish. It's a Cheval Blanc that will require a decade in bottle; not the most flamboyant in recent years, but it is intellectually satisfying without question.

Score: 97 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2050 Date: 08 February 2023

The 2020 Cheval Blanc has a limpid deep people hue with noticeable tears in the glass. The bouquet demands several minutes to really open, delivering a payload of intense black cherry and blueberry fruit, pressed violet, a hint of licorice and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, and quite dense and weighty in the mouth, though not sinewy. Everything is finely proportioned and multilayered, leading to a mineral-driven finish. This is a very serious, long-term Cheval Blanc with a glorious future ahead, though it would be wise to cellar this for a decade if you can resist temptation.

Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030 - 2070 Date: 01 May 2021

65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 71% of production. Cask sample. Deep colour. Flattering and floral on the nose but slightly hard-edged on the palate. There’s a fleshy quality to the fruit and freshness as well but the luxurious nature of Cheval seems missing this year. Tight and firm at present, even a little pinched, the tannins overwhelm the fruit at present. (JL)

Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Date: 08 May 2021