Wine Advisor
Cheval Blanc 1994
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Description
Château Cheval Blanc, a 1er Grand Cru Classé (A) is unquestionably the leading estate in St. Emilion. It is located in the north-west of the St. Emilion appellation, bordering Pomerol. Cheval Blanc obtained its first medal at the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London. In fact, a representation of this bronze medal is found on the château’s present-day label. Cheval Blanc won their first gold medal at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris, and this new distinction also appeared on the label. In 1886, Cheval Blanc won a second gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Antwerp. Reflecting this series of successes and a wine well on the way to achieving international recognition, a château was built on the estate.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This was the first Cheval Blanc that I ever tasted, blind in July 1999 when the nose was dumb but lacked the complexity I was expecting. Tasted again in May 2006. A stalky, quite herbaceous nose. Medium-bodied, not exactly the most harmonious palate with a Cabernet-Franc dominated finish. It did not surprise me that this was Cheval 1994 as it has never been my favourite vintage. Drink up. Tasted May 2006.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Dark ruby/purple-colored, with a complex, spicy, tobacco, vanilla, blackcurrant, mineral, and floral-scented nose, the 1994 is a bigger, more structured wine than the 1993, its older sibling, but is it better? The wine finishes with mouthsearing tannin, which detracts from the otherwise impressive aromatics and sweet, medium-bodied, lush attack. As I have written many times in the past, Cheval Blanc has a tendency to fatten up, put on weight, and expand both aromatically and texturally with age, so perhaps this wine will move in that direction. If it does, my rating will appear unduly conservative. But if the tannin continues to taste astringent and the fruit begins to fade, then I will have overrated the 1994. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2017.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Cheval Blanc's medium ruby-colored 1994 exhibits an up-front, sexy, clean, blackcurrant and floral-scented nose, medium body, soft flavors that caress the palate, fine ripeness, and a short finish with a lack of concentration and depth. It is a flattering, easy to understand and drink Cheval Blanc that is very good, but I doubt if it will ever become outstanding. However, as I have stated many times in the past, this wine has an uncanny knack of putting on weight and appearing far denser and richer after a few years in the bottle than it does from barrel. That being said, this appears to be a wine to drink over the next 10-12 years. I will be thrilled if this wine proves my rating to be too stingy. All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Although this 50% Cabernet Franc/50% Merlot blend is richer than the lightweight wine produced in 1992, as well as the 1993 (which, by the way, is tasting far better; I would now rate it 87-88 points), it is not the most concentrated Cheval Blanc. The color is an attractive dark ruby with purple tints. The wine reveals the classic Cheval Blanc aromatic profile with sweet oak, menthol, blackcurrant, and spicy scents. Medium-bodied and delicate, with admirable richness and a soft, seductive, satiny smooth style, this wine was so velvety-textured, I could have consumed it from the cask. If the 1994 Cheval Blanc puts on more weight (it often has a tendency to improve greatly after 3-5 years of age), this will be an outstanding wine, but it is not of the quality Cheval Blanc achieved in 1990, 1989, 1985, 1983, and 1982. This is not a 1994 with a high tannin level, so it will unquestionably drink well young.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
It is many years since I last tasted the 1994 Château Cheval Blanc. Here it has an intriguing nose with expressive Cabernet Franc aromas that develop more floral, wilted petal tones with aeration. There are touches of desiccated red cherry and bacon fat. The palate is medium-bodied and nicely structured, quite savory in the mouth and showing some austerity towards the harmonious finish. It is a little curmudgeonly perhaps and I would consume bottles in the next 5-8 years, as it is not going to go anywhere. Tasted March 2015.
About the Producer
Château Cheval Blanc is a highly lauded wine estate in the Saint-Émilion region of northeast Bordeaux. Classified with the top ranking of Premier Grand Cru Classé A, it is regarded by many as one of the greatest wines of the appellation – if not, the greatest. It is certainly the most famous Cabernet Franc-based wine in the world, albeit often alongside very similar levels of Merlot. Typically, the "grand vin" (the estate's eponymous wine) is lush and full bodied with great weight of fruit. It tends to require ten years of bottle age and the best vintages can last half a century or more. The second wine of the estate is Le Petit Cheval. The vineyard is located in the northwest of the region, bordering Pomerol (La Conseillante is a neighbor) and consists of 39 hectares (96 acres) divided into 45 plots. There is an unusually large amount of Cabernet Franc planted – about 49 percent – with 47 percent Merlot and four percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The unusual planting proportions reflect the terroir; most vineyards in the region are either clay or gravel-based over impermeable sedimentary rock, but Cheval Blanc is unique in having a patchwork of soils with the two types in roughly equal proportions. The clay soils provide base wines with velvety tannins, while those from gravel soils are more aromatic and elegant. Vines have been grown since the 14th Century at this spot but the vineyard as it is known today took shape in the 19th Century when the core plots were added to by purchases from the nearby Figeac estate. Subsequent replantings established the atypical half-Merlot, half-Cabernet Franc proportions. Cheval Blanc gained its first medal at the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London – the first of a series of successes building its reputation and achieving price levels comparable to the Médoc first growths, which paved the way for a château to be built on the estate. In the first classification of Saint-Émilion wines in 1955, Cheval Blanc was awarded the highest possible rating and remains a Premier Grand Cru Classé A. In 1998, after 166 years of continuous family ownership, Bernard Arnault, the head of luxury goods firm LVMH, and the late Baron Albert Frère (a Belgian billionaire investor) jointly purchased the estate. The spectacular new cellar opened in 2011, with 52 concrete vats (replacing stainless steel) of differing sizes corresponding to different vineyard plots. The grand vin spends 16 to 18 months in new oak barrels from a variety of cooperages.
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