Wine Advisor
Cheval Blanc 2003
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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 2003 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc and 44% Merlot, reveals an exquisite bouquet of mulberries, forest floor, new saddle leather, spice box and spring flowers. The first-growth quality aromatics are followed by a complex medium-bodied wine with more density than anticipated. The wine seems fully mature although there is an unexpected freshness and underlying depth of fruit. This beauty should continue to drink well for another 7-8 years. One of the principal theories of the bizarre, historically hot and dry summer of 2003 is that grapes planted in gravelly and sandy soils were the least successful. If that was true 100% of the time, Cheval Blanc would have made a horrible wine. In fact, both the grand vin and second wine at Cheval Blanc did well in this vintage. It was the earliest harvest in over 110 years at this estate, and the resulting wine is a beauty.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The nose is dominated by the merlot at this stage (a shame as the cabernet franc would have added more complexity and weight.) It appears a little over-macerated, a note of hot fruits and "sweaty saddle". The palate is very pure and well knit although it lacks some character and personality. A sweet cassis finish. I expected much more from a great estate like Cheval Blanc. Tasted March 2004.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Compared to the previous wine, there is a faint but pleasant stalky element to the nose, blackberry, a touch of liquorices and saddle-leather. The palate is rich and opulent with very ripe tannins, leading towards a meaty, savoury finish that just lacks a little grip but has a silky texture. The acidity seems just a little low to me. Drink 2010-2020. Tasted January 2007.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A delicate, elegant style of Cheval, that’s more into fruit than size, structure, and intensity, this soft, finesse-styled, medium-bodied effort reveals notes of cranberries, mangoes, cherries, and crushed stones in its moderately intense perfume. In the mouth, it is stylish, soft, pure, and builds incrementally. About 4% press wine was added to the final blend. The harvest, which produced only 30 hectoliters per hectare, was Cheval Blanc’s earliest ever, with the Merlot picked between September 1 - 5, and the Cabernet Franc between September 10 - 15. It was not easy, as manager Pierre Lurton acknowledged, having a vineyard on gravelly soils in the stifling unprecedented heat of the summer of 2003. Only 50% of the crop made it into Cheval Blanc, a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot (the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc in many years). Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2003 Cheval Blanc, a tiny production of 5,000 cases, was bottled early to protect its delicate style. It is a light to medium-bodied, superficial, but seductive effort offering notes of cherries, herbs, smoke, and new oak. It possesses moderate depth as well as exceptional elegance and finesse. I suspect enough of its noble terroir comes through to please this estate’s fans. Obviously, the vintage’s severe heat and drought did not benefit Cheval Blanc’s lighter, gravelly soils. This fragrant 2003 is best consumed over the next 12-14 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Administrator Pierre Lurton told me that this wine is scheduled to be bottled in late March or early April to preserve its delicate fruit. Highly perfumed and somewhat evolved, it offers up scents of cedarwood, cranberries, mulberries, and currants. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by the attractive, fragrant, sweet bouquet, and fresh, medium-bodied flavors. While there is not significant depth, substance, or concentration, it is a pure, elegant 2003 that may put on weight and perform even better in 4-5 years. My instincts suggest it will not be a long-lived example of Cheval Blanc. The final blend was 56% Cabernet Franc and 44% Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2017.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s “10-Year On” tasting in London. The Cheval Blanc 2003 has an attractive bouquet with expressive Cabernet Franc – cooked meat, undergrowth, mint and cloves. It offers clarity if not the sophistication of a top Cheval Blanc. The palate is medium-bodied with an understated, supple entry of raspberry, dried herbs, cedar and graphite – indeed, quite Left Bank in style for Cheval. It is nicely composed, refined with a sedate low acid finish that fans out nicely. Fine. Tasted March 2013.
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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