Château Cheval Blanc Saint-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé A 2022 i trækasse

Antonio Galloni

The 2022 Cheval Blanc is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Deep, seamless and striking in its beauty, the 2022 possesses pedigree to burn. Readers will find a sumptuous wine, but there’s plenty of tannin lurking beneath all of that intensity. In fact, the 2022 is the most tannic Cheval since 2010. The aromatics are surprisingly vibrant for a wine from a warm, dry year. The wine's energy is palpable. The 100% new oak is not all perceptible, which is another sign of top-notch balance. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of exotic Franc notes, followed by blood orange, red fruit, mind and dried herb touches. The 2022 includes 17% press wine (compared to the 11% or so that is typical), but as I have noted in my comments elsewhere in this report, the press lots were of high quality in 2022 because the winemaking was gentle. Once again, Cheval Blanc represents a pinnacle of excellence. Readers should note there is no Petit Cheval in 2022. Drinking window : 2032-2062

La Revue du Vin de France

The Independent

The 2022 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and it has a deep garnet-purple color. It erupts from the glass with an intense perfume of violets, rose oil, and licorice, leading to a vibrant, fruity core of juicy blueberries, fresh blackberries, redcurrant preserves, and raspberry coulis, plus a waft of cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, the palate begins fragrant and opulent, textures and flavors melting in the mouth like Turkish Delight, leading to a generous core of juicy black, blue, and red berry layers, supported by super-fine, silt-like tannins, finishing very long, minerally and refreshing. So graceful, so singular, so Cheval.

Vinous

The 2022 Cheval Blanc is a lucid, deep purple color. With profound intensity on the nose, this Cheval offers blackcurrant, blue fruit, iris petals, crushed stone and incense aromas. It is blessed with breathtaking delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with seamless tannins. There is palpable verticality in this Cheval, almost "correct" and "strict", yet endowed with stunning depth and complexity. The Cabernets are clearly in the driving seat here and lend it Left Bank allure. Consequently, while it is not the most flamboyant Cheval Blanc I have tasted at this stage, it constitutes a wine for those serious about their Bordeaux. It will give the same satisfaction as when you finish reading a literary masterpiece.

Jean-Marc Quarin

Alexandre Ma

As expected yet unexpected, this is the Cheval-Blanc I have been anticipating, but never would have expected to encounter in the extreme vintage like 2022. The rich and compact Merlot combines with the robust Cabernet Franc, creating a miraculous harmony and tenderness, akin to the Chinese concept of Tai Chi balance. The fragrance of bayberry and black goji, accompanied by the graphite and pencil lead, exudes a refined charm without the need for excessive violet aromas. In the face of the world's challenges to Bordeaux wine, this wine proves that Bordeaux's glory is still unshakable and will continue to write unknown legend in its unique way.

Jane Anson

Kicks off with an explosive nose of freshly crushed red roses, liqourice root and smoked sandalwood. The exuberance of the vintage means that this is a Cheval that feels more approachable at this stage than many years, but no less complex. Blueberry, raspberry and cassis fruits, along with ink, soot, baked earth, incense and saffran, closing to mouthwatering lime and mandarin zest that add juice and length on the finish. Just a great wine from director Pierre Olivier Clouet and the team. 100% new oak barrels for ageing. Harvest began on August 29 (earliest ever, with 80% of Merlot bought in by the end of August), then Cabernet Franc in by September 20. 3.86ph. No Petit Cheval this year, but just 78% of production in the 1st wine. And this is the first year where Cheval Blanc is just a simple, lowly AOC St Emilion, after its withdrawal from the classification. Potential 100.

Matthew Jukes

Bettane et Desseauve

Andrew Caillard MW

Medium deep colour. Intense dark plum, smoky bacon, camomile, violet. pot pourri aromas with sesame notes. Richly concentrated dark plum, smoky bacon, roasted chestnut flavours, superb mid-palate density and fine slinky tannins. Builds up cedary and minerally. Marvellous complexity, volume and mineral length. One of the top wines of the vintage. 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc 1% Cabernet Sauvignon

Jeb Dunnuck

I was able to taste the 2022 Château Cheval Blanc in its individual components as well as a final blend, which is incredibly insightful when trying to understand a young barrel sample. The final blend is 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon (which is similar to the 2010), and as always, it's resting in new barrels. A deep, concentrated, structured Cheval Blanc, it has beautiful cassis, violets, flowers, and chocolate-driven aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated, structured 2022 that stays tight, focused, and firm on the palate, with very little in the way of baby fat, yet the tannins are fine and polished. With a stacked mid-palate and a great finish, this masculine, structured, dense, powerful 2022 is going to need a decade or more of bottle age, but it should be brilliant. 96-98+

James Suckling

This is a wine that soars to new heights with its brightness and weightlessness. The balance of serene fruit that’s perfectly ripe. Full-bodied yet tight and polished where it seems delicate and compressed, with berry, chocolate and walnut character. The finish is endless and poised. Wine of the vintage? 53% merlot, 46% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

Garnet with purple accents in the color. The wine offers blackberries, black cherries, violets, chocolate, saffron, smoke, licorice, and orange rind nuances in the perfume. The palate is even more expressive. Regardless of what you have heard or expect, this is a gentle Cheval Blanc. The wine starts off slowly, and builds on the palate in intensity, slowly, but steadily. The wine manages to be as refined as it is concentrated, remaining perfectly balanced. The experience is seamless. The purity in the fruit is striking. The finish sees the 60 second mark and without a care in the world, keeps on going leaving you with layers of silky, sexy, sensuous fruits that linger long after the wine has left the glass. The wine is made from 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.9% ABV, 3.8 pH. The harvest took place August 29 - September 6 for the Merlot. The Cabernet Franc September 12 - September 20. Yields were only 27 hectoliters per hectare. Please note that no second wine was produced in 2022. Make no mistake, this is one of the great vintages of Cheval Blanc, and that is really saying something. Drink from 2027-2065.

Bettane & Desseauve