One of my favorite Cheval Blancs, it remains to be seen if the 1998, 2000, and 2008 will live up to this offering. It is the ripest wine of the aforementioned vintages, with a complex bouquet of tobacco leaf, Christmas fruitcake, sweet black fruits, bordering on fig and plum, but no hint of overripeness, and notions of new saddle leather, mint, and incense. The gorgeously expressive aromatics are followed by a full-bodied wine revealing abundant glycerin as well as elevated alcohol, but it is not hot, and nothing is out of place. Expansive, rich, and revealing the nuances and complexity that come from bottle age, it is at its peak of maturity where it should remain for another 10-15 years.
98+ points – Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #183, June 2009)

The 1990 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that once upon a time I drank regularly, although I had not seen it since March 2016. Poured against the 1990 Lafite-Rothschild, this is the clear winner. Still youthful in color with modest bricking. The bouquet explodes from the glass with kirsch, mulberry, antique furniture and black truffle scents. With aeration it becomes more savory, the Cabernet Franc wanting to see more of the olfactory action. The palate is medium-bodied and comes equipped with a stunning velvety texture. This Saint-Émilion feels spherical, conveying a sense of controlled decadence but avoiding any ostentation. This is as good a bottle as I have encountered over the years. Brilliant. Tasted at Noble Rot's “Xmas” dinner. Dec 2019

(13.6% alcohol; 40 h/h): Bright red. Very complex, deep nose of blackcurrant, red cherry, coffee, tar, tobacco leaf and flowers. Then smooth, rich and dense, with a creamy texture and lively acidity nicely extending the flavors of dark berries, plum, mocha, soy sauce, leather and Oriental spices. A ripely tannic wine with a rich, exotic mouth feel, this comes across as a more opulent style of Cheval Blanc. Finishes extremely long and complex, with a smoky chocolatey nuance and a sweet coconut note. This outstanding and complex wine will have you going back to the glass again and again. A warm and dry year, the 1990 vintage was slightly hotter than 1989 (some cuvées of merlot clocked in at over 14% alcohol), with 11 days over 35°C between July and August. From July to September there was 27% more sunlight than average and it was very dry throughout. It was also a very precocious year, with flowering occurring around May 25, veraison (the color change of the berries) on August 12, and harvest between September 11 and 25. (Incidentally, the chateau does not have records of the final blends of their vintages prior to the early 1990s. IDA

The 1990 Chateau Cheval Blanc is fully mature at this stage, with a complex, Burgundian style in its forest floor, sweet red and black fruits, dried flowers, cigar tobacco, and spice-laced aromas and flavors. Possessing an ethereal, elegant texture, full body, resolved tannins, and no hard edges, it’s a heavenly example of this terroir that’s drinking at point today. There’s no upside here, but it should keep nicely for another 15-20 years. Tasted June 2019

This is really wonderful and a big surprise for the tasting with wonderful flowers, dark berries and hints of currants on the nose. It’s full and very silky with a wonderful precision and finesse. Goes on and on. Wow. What a finish. This is a buy call. So outstanding. Just a baby but a joy to drink. Tasted March 2012

Deep healthy red-ruby. Knockout nose combines nearly candied cherry and raspberry fruit, grilled nuts, coffee, tobacco, game, earth and mint. Great silky sweetness in the mouth, thanks to fabulously pure, ripe cabernet franc. Finishes with extraordinary sweetness and great persistence, with the ripe tannins currently buried under a wave of fruit. A fabulous vintage for this chateau. Drink now through 2025. July 2002

You could not ask for more in a bottle. The perfume with its blend of spices, espresso, flowers, smoke, cocoa, tobacco, wild cherries, plums, and ash instantly grabs your focus. On the palate, the wine is pure silk and velvet, which caresses you with its layers of vibrant, earthy, pure, red, and black fruits. The concentrated finish is long, deep, intense, and sensuous, gaining in opulence in the glass. Drink from 2023-2040. Tasted Jan 2023