Wine Advisor
Cheval Blanc 1999
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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: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1999 may be the finest Cheval Blanc administrator Pierre Lurton has yet made. There will be approximately 10,000 cases of this 55% Merlot/45% Cabernet Franc blend, which represents 52% of the estate's total production. It was an extremely difficult vintage, especially the last half of September, but a severe crop thinning and selection process have resulted in an exotic Cheval Blanc. A dark ruby/purple color is accompanied by exotic, tropical-like notes of brandy-macerated tangerines, chocolate, kirsch, cassis, and vanilla. Sexy, with a medium-bodied unctuosity, as well as elements of sur-maturite, this low acid, accessible Cheval Blanc should be delicious young. If it puts on weight (as this estate's wines often do), it will merit an even higher score. Although Cheval Blanc is notoriously difficult to judge in its youth (because of the high percentage of Cabernet Franc which makes it taste significantly lighter than it ultimately turns out to be), the 1999 is an unquestionably impressive effort. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The nose lacks intensity, quite earthy with inadequate vigour. Not an auspicious start. The palate is quite elegant but lacks complexity and vitality. Moderate tannins and acidity. Sweet raspberry at the core. This does not really go anywhere (unlike say Ausone 99 tasted a week earlier.) Very Merlot but one-dimensional by Cheval's standards. Overall: disappointing. Tasted November 2003.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The immensely sexy, totally disarming 1999 (a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc) boasts a deep purple color in addition to gorgeous aromas of jammy black fruits, coffee, cedar, and minerals. As the wine sits in the glass, additional nuances of kirsch and orange marmalade become apparent. A seamless classic, with an unctuous texture, gorgeous levels of fruit, and no hard edges, this compelling Cheval Blanc will be gorgeous to drink young, yet will last for two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020. Kudos to administrator Pierre Lurton for the efforts he has put forth over recent years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1999 horizontal at Bordeaux Index. Compared to Lafleur, this is a little simplistic on the nose, the Merlot in the driving seat with wild strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant but having said that, it does gain intensity with time. It is quite seductive but it lacks a little dimension. The palate is medium-bodied, cohesive, rounded in texture with a slight animally accent. Nice tension on the finish but it does lack the personality of Lafleur. Drink now-2016. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The complex, explosively fragrant 1999 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 59% Merlot and 41% Cabernet Franc. It is already showing well, which is a good sign for a wine that traditionally is reserved early in life, but puts on weight and richness in the bottle. Stylistically, this wine is probably cut from the same mold as vintages such as 1985, 1966, and 1962. The color is a dense ruby with purple nuances. Once past the blockbuster bouquet of menthol, leather, black fruits, licorice, and mocha, the wine reveals medium body, extraordinary elegance, purity, and sweet, harmonious flavors with no hard edges. This is a seamless beauty of finesse, charm, and concentration. The 1999 is an exciting Cheval Blanc to drink relatively young. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2022.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
61% merlot and 39% cabernet franc): Good full ruby. Crystallized blackcurrant, licorice, cedar and menthol on the nose, complicated by cocoa and smoky minerals. Round and ripe but not thick or heavy on the palate, featuring tangy flavors of black cherry, licorice, graphite and spices. At once creamy and juicy, with good breadth and fine tannins. Over the years, I have had the unique opportunity and privilege (for which I am grateful to both Lurton and Van Leeuwen) to taste the single lots of pure cabernet franc and merlot from this and other vintages (the estate sets aside a small number of such bottles every vintage for purposes of study and analysis), and it's an amazingly instructive exercise. Though the final blend is better than the single lots, the fact that the estate's second wine, Le Petit Cheval, was 61% cabernet franc (with 2% malbec!) in 1999 and that it is a pretty amazing wine leads me to question the wisdom of having included so much merlot in the final assemblage of the 1999 Cheval Blanc. (Note that the percentages of the final blend I report are those given me by Van Leeuwen, while some other references have listed the 1999 blend at 59% merlot and 41% cabernet franc.) The vintage was a hot one, with higher than average temperatures in almost every month of the growth cycle, leading to an early harvest in mid-September (whereas the annual average is closer to September 20-25).
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1999 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that has never quite rocked my boat, and at 20 years of age, it still doesn’t. The bouquet feels a little simple and quite high-toned for Cheval Blanc, driven by the Merlot and trying too hard to impress. The palate is medium-bodied with robust tannin and sweet candied red berry fruit tinged with orange peel and brown spices. I appreciate the density, though it is not a precise Cheval Blanc and lacks a bit of personality. One more thing: it does not put sufficient distance between itself and Le Petit Cheval. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full ruby-red. Aromas of currant, bitter chocolate, violet, lead pencil and tobacco leaf; less black and more red than the 2000 and 2001. Fat, sweet and full, with smoke and currant flavors. Long on personality but it's hard to imagine this wine ever showing as much complexity as either of the subsequent two vintages. Finishes with impressively silky, fine tannins and excellent persistence.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium ruby-red. Spicy, floral aromas of blueberry, violet pastille, licorice, bitter chocolate and black pepper. Very concentrated but currently tightly wound. An elegantly styled wine that can't match the 2000 for sheer layered richness, but impressively juicy and bright for the year. I may have slightly underrated this a year ago. This will not be bottled until November.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium ruby. Black raspberry, blueberry, licorice and menthol on the nose. Supple, rich and vinous, with very good but not outstanding concentration. Consistent texture from start to finish. A very elegantly styled midweight, finishing with rich tannins and very good length.
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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