Château CHEVAL BLANC 2022

Description

Jean-Marc Quarin 100 points www.quarin.com
Voici la couleur la plus noire jamais vue à Cheval Blanc ! Nez intense, subtil, complexe et profond. Touche de framboise, de mûre, de réglisse, d’anis. L’entrée en bouche commence très fort. De suite, le vin se montre ultra caressant et gras, avec la classe tactile radieuse que ce cru sait offrir. Et cette onctuosité devient juteuse. L’opulence monte sans faire dévier le cru de son axe esthétique. Ah la haute majesté de la richesse qui n’abuse de rien ! Ce port gustatif est à la fois génial et incompréhensible. Magnifique longueur si sapide. Assemblage : 53 % merlot, 46 % cabernet franc, 1 % cabernet sauvignon. Degré d’alcool : 14°25 – pH : 3,80. Rendement faible de 29 hl/ha. Les baies de cabernet franc étaient inférieures à 1 gr. Pas de production de Petit Cheval en 2022.

Yves Beck 99-100 points www.yvesbeck.wine
Imaginez l’entrée en scène d’une célébrité. Tout le monde l’attend, tous les regards sont fixés sur lui. Tout le monde sait ce qu’il a à faire et, surtout lui. Donc une célébrité qui n’a plus vraiment quelque chose à prouver, mais quelques-uns l’attendent quand-même au contour. Et que fait Cheval Blanc ? Il adopte une attitude sereine, élégante, pas exubérante. Notez que l’on connaît ce côté là, mais Cheval 2022 se met en scène avec assurance, avec subtilité, avec brio car il sait qu’il a plus d’une corde à son arc. Il ne cherche donc pas l’éclat (et ne l’a d’ailleurs jamais cherché). En bouche, le défi consiste à reproduire, respectivement à assumer les annonces tellement prometteuses du bouquet. Que nenni, le palais assume complètement et en rajoute même. Respectivement, il canalise la puissance, il dompte les tannins qui sont veloutés (quand-même) et il fait usage de la vivacité, de la dynamique et du tempérament de l’énergie conférée par les tannins et la structure acide. Un Cheval Blanc de haute voltige, qui cumule finesse, sucrosité, sapidité et puissance. Légèrement saline, la finale souligne la fraîcheur.  2030-2057

Neal Martin 98-100 points www.vinous.com
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.

Antonio Galloni 98-100 points www.vinous.com
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.

William Kelley 97-99+ points www.robertparker.com
One of the stars of the vintage is the striking 2022 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon that bursts from the glass with aromas of mulberries, cherries and wild berries mingled with mint, orange zest, pencil lead, vine smoke and exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, it’s rich and gourmand, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and a long, saline, pungently perfumed finish. Harvest began on 29 August, with all the Merlot picked before the month was out, and the result is a wine that is as vibrant as it is lavish.

Georgina Hindle 98 points  www.decanter.com
An extremely gorgeous 2022 taking the best from the vintage in terms of power, concentration and structure and presenting it with elegance, purity and a kind of quiet confidence that Cheval does so well. Crushed stones, salt, blue fruits and soft perfumed aromas on the nose. Smooth texture, so fine, silky, supple and agile, this has such an alluring energy from the first sip. Tannins are velvety soft providing a gentle grip with a powdery, chalky graphite, liquorice and fresh mint touch. This feels calm and controlled with the power coming slowly and subtly in the undercurrent of lush ripe fruit. Intensity is matched by accessibility with a combination of high acidity and appealing sweetness with layers of nuance and detail. So complete – nothing is missing here, but it’s more about what it’s not saying than what it is. A great wine that has potential for up-score in bottle. Potential 100 point wine. A yield of 27hl/ha, due to size of the berries. 3.86pH. 72IPT. No Petit Cheval this year, a total of 78% grand vin production. 98-100 points.