2005 Cheval Blanc

An absolute legend of a wine, the 2005 Château Cheval Blanc is up there with the greatest wines ever made. Based on 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc raised all in new oak, this stunning effort clocks in as 13.9% alcohol and a pH of 3.6. Deep ruby hued with no bricking and barely any lighting at the rim, it has that classic Cheval Blanc complexity with incredible cassis and darker currant like fruits as well as smoky, truffly earth, spice, and cedar pencil nuances. Full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, and yet flawlessly balanced and weightless, it still has substantial tannins yet they’re perfectly ripe and flawlessly integrated. It’s as good a wine as I’ve ever tasted. Drink bottles any time over the coming 20-30 years.

Almost equal proportions of Cabernet and Merlot, summing up how balanced the 2005 vintage was. Rosehip, rose petal, ripe raspberry fruits. Now beginning to open up, even inching towards tertiary with its wisps of florality and tobacco but still with so much power and concentration. This is right up there as one of the wines of the vintage, with huge complexity, touches of Asian spice, mint leaf, you really feel just how much is going on in the glass. Plenty of Cheval signature in its classicism and balance, with a moreish bitter almond and salted cracker signoff. I last had this three or four years ago and it was not ready, but it has flipped the switch now, and can be enjoyed with a good few hours in a carafe. Harvest September 12 to 27, 42hl/h yield. 100% new oak, 57% of overall production, no press wine. Vinified in the old cellar, and this is three years before the arrival of current technical director Pierre Olivier Clouet, with Thierry Garnrud cellar master, Pierre Lurton director. Unrolls in the glass, with decades ahead of it.