Chateau Cheval Blanc 2018 tasting notes on futures and ratings “en primeur” by Ronald Rens, M.Sc., Wine Master, Bordeaux Expert

Tasting the excellent Cheval Blanc 2018 with a very happy Pierre Lurton

If the mood of Pierre Lurton was a harbinger of the quality of the Cheval Blanc this year, then all the signs were positive. I have never seen Lurton so chipper and ready to joke and fool around. But he is dead serious about his wine. At Cheval Blanc it was extremely important to harvest the Merlots at exactly the right moment to prevent too much alcohol because over maturity is not what he aims for. Pierre explains semi-jokingly: “It is easy to present a specially selected barrel on futures with a Parker-style wine. That is not what we aim for. We use many different parcels because this gives more complexity and that is what I aim for. We need a certain yield to create the harmony in the wine.” Cheval Blanc has 52 plots of vines planted on 39 ha and this hasn’t changed in over 200 years.

Le Petit Cheval 2018 (19- points)
[30% Cabernet Franc and 70% Merlot]

Chateau Cheval Blanc 2018 (20 points)

Brilliant medium intense ruby color. A superb intense nose with red fruit (cherry), chocolate and caramel. Some licorice. A great freshness with silky, smooth tannins. On the palate the wine is already delicious. Super precise fruit and a great tannic structure. Incredible that this is only a second wine.

Chateau Cheval Blanc 2018 (20 points!)
[54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon]

A deep concentrated color, intense with a beautiful deep purple rim. On the nose this wine is simply incredible: Extremely complex with an intense, fresh bouquet of cherry, blackcurrant and some blackberry. On the palate there is a superb ripeness. This is just an almost hedonistic pleasure. Beautiful fruit intertwined with soft but powerful elegant tannins. A bit more of a tannic structure than previous vintages. Incredible length and complexity combined with a great freshness. This wine has a tremendous aging potential. The Cheval Blanc is one of the few wines I wanted to drink already. This is without a doubt the best Cheval Blanc I have tasted on futures and this is definitely my wine of the vintage on the Right Bank. 20 points on 20, without a doubt.

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