Bordeaux 2023: Cheval Blanc

Then comes the considerable task of blending this wide pantone of terroirs to create something even greater than its parts. The 2023 utilises 41 different plots to fashion a seamless wine, full of complexity, character and finesse, which is quite rightly being heralded as one of the greatest successes of the vintage.

There are also small quantities of Petit Cheval this year, another thoroughbred from the same stable. One can see a lineage here, with its glorious purity of fruit and conformation, but, unsurprisingly, it appears more unbridled than the wonderfully sculptured Cheval. This is a very smart Petit Cheval and will be a joy to drink while one waits for the Grand Vin.

“One of the most profound wines of the vintage is the 2023 Cheval Blanc, a striking wine that stands out for its strong sense of identity and seamless integration at such an early stage in its life. Wafting from the glass with notes of mulberries, lilac, dark fruits, iris root and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with a gourmand core of cool, vibrant fruit that entirely conceals its sweet structuring tannins, concluding with a long, perfumed finish. It's a blend of 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, drawing on fully 46 of the blocks that make up Cheval Blanc, and it attained 13.8% alcohol. 98-100/100” – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate