Château Cheval Blanc 2011

Absolute class: dense, smooth, refined, floral, sensual, distinctive, stylish, seductive. 100 percent Cheval Blanc.

The 2011 Château Cheval Blanc is one of the more plump, opulent and sexy Cheval Blancs made over recent vintages, and its forwardness, lusciousness and complexity seemingly suggest this wine is on a fast evolutionary track. The wine exhibits a dense ruby/purple/plum color, a medium- to full-bodied opulence, a sumptuous mid-palate (atypical for the vintage), and a lush, heady finish. It is a super, complex, evolved Cheval Blanc that can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years. Bravo!

Still very youthful a decade on, with fresh notes of raspberry rising above the black fruit core. Nuances of cedar and a touch of violet are beginning to emerge, and despite the drier vintage there’s great freshness to the finish in this otherwise opulent and silky wine. A great potential for cellaring.

Deep and rich with a lovely balance of ripe black berries, bitter chocolate and smoke. A ripe and generous style, the fine tannins already nicely softened. Long, supple and gentle finish that’s very appealing, but slightly simple. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.

The 2011 Cheval Blanc has an elegant, quite refined bouquet with brambly red fruit, scorched earth, terracotta and sage, very complex and harmonious. Could this be Figeac? [Post-script. No, but not far off!] The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannins, quite plush and sensual, rich for this vintage with plenty of concentrated, quite sweet and spicy, hoisin-tinged fruit on the precise finish. This is a very fine Saint-Émilion. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

Medium-bodied, classic in style, forward, earthy and fresh, the dusty tannins behind all the ripe red fruits deliver brightness along with wet earth, mint leaf, thyme, tobacco, spice, and dried flowers. Drink from 2022-2035.

A vintage that’s being drunk with abandon in France these days, the 2011 Chateau Cheval Blanc showed beautifully, and the firm tannins that define this vintage are nowhere to be found here. Sweet black fruits, spice, incense, and exotic flowers define the bouquet and it has classic Cheval Blanc complexity. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, with sweet tannins and a great finish, it’s a beautiful Saint-Emilion to drink over the coming 2-3 decades.

What a noble perfume of red cherries, sandalwood and Brazilian tobacco, with nougat pralines and dried plums in the background. On the sublime palate, a cashmere-like texture and impressive depth, everything in magnificent balance, a perfectly sculpted Adonis-like body. In the long finish, dried culinary herbs, wild cherry and coriander. Ends with a lofty astringency – a monument, clearly among the best wines of the vintage! Decant!

52% Cabernet Franc, 48% Merlot. 40 hl/ha. 70% Grand Vin. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet highlights on the rim. Multi-layered bouquet, showing more spice than fruit—a clear indicator of a wine built on outstanding Cabernet Franc—ripe black plums, tobacco, dark malt, a hint of currants and tar, truffle nuances. Velvety palate, well-shaped, fairly opulent tannins, already showing plenty of charm; the ripe acidity lends the body a more feminine contour, finishing on blueberry and elderberry, with very long persistence. A majestic, great Cheval Blanc that should not be underestimated. On Monday morning at 9 a.m., the world in Cheval Blanc’s new cellar felt perfectly in order to me. The best Saint-Émilion! 16: Drunk during a visit to Cheval. I was completely impressed. The greatest thing about a Cheval is its spiciness. And that is exactly what it has in greater measure.

Silky, deep, complex and fresh bouquet, blue and black berries, pralines, mint, tobacco. Balanced, tightly knit, elegant palate with plenty of fine tannins, dense, velvety structure, delicate fruit, long, full, fresh finish. 19/20 2020 - 2040

Now comfortably into its second decade, and starting to open up to show a beautifully nuanced and finessed structure. This is the first time I have checked in to this wine for two years, and it remains very much floral-dominated, with violet and iris aromatics, reflective of the high percentage of Cabernet Franc, showcasing precisely-crafted blue and red fruits. Balances light touch acidities and slow build concentration, with decades ahead of it. 50% new oak.

The 2011 Cheval Blanc has a deep garnet-brick color. The nose is redolent of tar, fertile loam, licorice, and prunes, giving way to a core of fruitcake, new leather, and black truffles. The palate is full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, with earthy nuances coming through on the long finish.

In the shadow of its illustrious predecessors, 2011 is now able to rival 2009 and 2010. With 53% Cabernet Franc, this is a truly great Cheval-Blanc: the wine’s velvety texture, power and richness are perfectly preserved by a sheath of freshness that allows for a superb balance in this vintage, all the more so as it is half the price of its illustrious elders.

Sanguine and floral, still firm, there’s a whole world in the glass with perfect intensity, heralding incredible longevity, dominated by 57% Cabernet Franc.

A dense Cheval, lovely substance, elegance, nice volume, currently driven by Merlot, fine finesse, but the clay-rich terroir shows through.

The bouquet of the 2011 stands out for its complexity and its ability to create harmony between spicy and fruity nuances. Inviting notes of licorice wood, Morello cherries, and blackberries, complemented by hints of pepper and garrigue herbs. Pleasant tension on the palate, enhanced by tannins that are firm yet generous and aligned with the temperament of the acidic structure. A precise, linear, and persistent wine. It’s ready to start enjoying!

The nose is elegant, fresh, racy, and offers complexity, a certain power, as well as a certain straightness. It reveals notes of fairly ripe blackberry, small black fruits and, more subtly, violet, with touches of nutmeg, crushed red berries (redcurrant, etc.), pepper, and discreet hints of lilac, dried chestnut leaf, liquorice, flowers, a subtle hint of truffle, and saline gravel. The palate is fruity, elegant, nicely fresh, saline, and offers a gravelly edge, balanced richness, a touch of tension, minerality, a lovely tangy backbone, a discreetly firm feel within its richness, and a charmingly airy character. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of boysenberry, fairly ripe strawberry, pulpy cherry and, more delicately, small plums, with hints of nutmeg, cardamom, redcurrant, discreet touches of pepper and chocolate, as well as a delicate note of toasted hazelnut, almond, and salinity. The tannins are plush, elegant and subtle. Lovely control of the tannic load. Good length. Classic in the best sense. A wine that offers great delicacy and subtlety.

Logo on the cork: JL (Lafitte Liège) Dark, intense colour, slightly evolved. Highly aromatic nose with ripe, fresh fruit. A subtle, creamy touch. Caressing, full palate that develops into a very tasty, fruity profile with refined texture. Finish evoking clay and Cabernet Franc. Great sappy, refined length. Delicious wine.