Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cheval Blanc is still incredibly primary at this very youthful stage. With coaxing, it unfurls to reveal beguiling notions of ripe black cherries, mulberries, licorice, baking spices and smoked meats with touches of incense and potpourri plus wafts of cast iron pan and crushed rocks. Full-bodied, very rich, very firm/taut and with very ripe, fine-grained tannins, it allows a glimpse at its incredible depth of flavors with a very long multi-layered finish. Wow.
WE
100pts
Wine Enthusiast
Made with 45% Cabernet Franc, this great wine offers a beautiful, rich and perfumed character. This is an exceptional vintage for this estate which incorporated into the blend fruit from parcels of the vineyard that would normally go into the second wine. It is packed with black-fruit flavors and broad tannins, with a background of juicy acidity and a firm structure. Drink from 2027. (Cellar Selection)
A lovely sanguine hint leads off, followed by racy, elegant juniper, tobacco, red currant and damson plum notes that move in unison. Broadens and deepens, adding notes of currant preserves, warm ganache and smoldering tobacco, with a swath of loamy structure. Yet even as the bass line increases in volume through the finish, this maintains purity and poise. Should deliver some stunning aromatics at peak, which will take awhile to achieve. Best from 2025 through 2045. 8,250 cases made. (Collectible)
Not a particularly deep color for this very ripe vintage, but this has a really beautiful nose, with a wide spectrum of red and black fruit, plus some floral notes. Rich, yet poised, with excellent balance of ripe fruit and full, fine tannin. Very long finish that’s bright and lively, considering the imposing scale of this wine. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.
I continue to absolutely love the 2015 Chateau Cheval Blanc. It’s one of those powerful, sexy, yet also weightless and elegant wines that’s going to drink well all its life. Checking in as a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels, it offers a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors led by beautiful sweet fruits as well as incredible floral, spice, and graphite nuances. It’s full-bodied, with a rich, rounded, opulent texture, sweet tannins, and a blockbuster finish. As with a lot of 2015s, it has the sweetness of fruit and ripe tannin that allows it to drink well today, but it’s going to be very long-lived and have 3-4 decades of prime drinking.
Lovely perfumed fruit on the palate, this has well integrated tannins that have a soft gentle mouth coating texture, with excellent juicy appeal straight away. Really quite herbal here, lots of mint and eucalyptus with tons of liquorice and some mint chocolate. Like the 2016, everything is so well balanced, just giving you hints of different elements. Here it is the cool blue fruit, liquorice and mint. So well executed, defined, precise and svelte. It is mouthfulling too though, you know this is a big wine with plenty of power and structure but so supple and agile. Excellent precision. Still super young and a bit shy, it's not giving away all its secrets right now but you'd never guess this was from a warm, ripe vintage such is the freshness. Such class on show. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050.
The 2015 Cheval Blanc has an intense bouquet of red and black fruit but lacks the precision and detail of some of its peers at present. It gradually unfurls to reveal light graphite/pencil box aromas, along with a touch of sous-bois indicative of a healthy percentage of Cabernet Franc. The fresh, vibrant palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity and a slightly closed, reticent finish, suggesting that it is saving more for later. Classic in style, more so than its peers, but worth cellaring for certain. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.