Château Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2005

Name: Château Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion
Brand: Château Cheval Blanc
Price: 9824.66 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1996 2005 2011 2014 2020

justerini & brooks tasting note

Pierre Lurton is a busy man, but his position as director of both Cheval Blanc and Yquem has not diluted his success this year, in fact it has concentrated it: each of these great properties has put in a potentially legendary performance in 2005. While young Cabernet Franc (this wine contains 55%, together with 45% Merlot) can often be backward and hard to taste, Lurton has eked out of this vintage the most sensational aromatics and flavour profile of any wine in the region. Cropping down to 39hl/ha and using 100% new barrels has already transformed the 2005 into a thing of extraordinary charm and finesse, with seamless flow and apparently endless complexity and depth: crushed strawberries and raspberries, liquorice, menthol, mocha, creamy caramel, fresh acidity, total harmony. The tannins are smoother even than cashmere (the début of Louis Vuitton tannins?) and the fruit just goes on and on. But for stiff competition from Lafite and Haut Brion, the wine of the vintage.

critic reviews

100/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

A blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc, the 2005 Cheval Blanc has a deep garnet color. The nose is still so incredibly youthful, soaring out of the glass with notes of juicy black plums, Morello cherries, mulberries, and fragrant soil, plus nuances of rose oil, spearmint, and pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut and energetic, delivering a firm backbone of exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and shimmery.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2057

date of review 09/2023

99/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2022 - 2060

date of review 09/2022

98/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2005 Cheval Blanc has a very intense bouquet, conveying so much energy that it almost knocks you sideways. That strong marine influence remains, the aromatics have opened up since I last tasted it. The palate is medium-bodied with firm backbone, yet more pliant than previous bottles, offering dense black fruit laced with mint and quite a potent saline note that drives the finish. This is surprisingly peppery on the aftertaste that is incredibly long. Awesome, but it needs more time. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at Berry, Brothers & Rudd.

DRINKING WINDOW 2021 - 2060

date of review 12/2019