A riveting vintage of Cheval Blanc, balancing its opulent character with firm tannins and energy. In 2023, it is the Cabernet Franc that shines, with its pungent aromatic profile, opening with a bouquet of flowers, spices, mint, Cuban cigars, black and red fruits, cocoa, and a hint of orange peel. This is a slow-developing tasting experience: It takes time to get going, holding back some of its personality. On the palate, you experience its full length, purity, vibrance, elegance, and refinement, along with its tannins and energy, as the wine builds in intensity, lingers, expands, and captures your attention for nearly 60 seconds. The château believes it is better than the 2022; I do not agree (Although they are close), though I understand their perspective. The wine blends 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 2030-2065

This is so cabernet, with blackcurrants, blackberries, crushed stone, graphite and lead pencil. Full-bodied with tight, chewy tannins that remain fine yet energetic. Winemaker Pierre-Olivier Clouet says this wine is a benchmark for Cheval Blanc. Reminds me of the great 1983. 13.8% alcohol. 52% merlot, 46% cabernet franc and 2% cabernet sauvignon.

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.

Contrasts intensity and depth with nuance and softly spoken character. Lift and tension, precisely placed cocoa bean, liqourice root, tomato leaf, tannins, violet and peony florals and slate, sinewy, slow-tug tannins, powerful with lift off. Has plenty to say and demands that you slow down to hear it. 40hl/h yield, 75% of overall production (no press wine as ever), harvest September 6 to October 3. Pierre-Olivier Clouet director.

The 2023 Cheval Blanc is stellar, just as it was en primeur. Lithe and elegant, the 2023 is super impressive right out of the gate. It possesses superb textural density yet remains so elegant, so precise. Exotic floral and spice notes weave through a core of red/purplish fruit. Hints of lavender, rose petal and menthol follow, adding myriad layers of dimension. The 2023 is wonderfully vivid, even in the early going. It's a magnificent young Cheval Blanc that will provide many decades of exceptional drinking. Yields were 39 hectoliters per hectare, the highest since 2004.

A blend of 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon raised just about all in new barrels, with a tiny amount in once-used barrels and foudre (roughly 10% of the blend), the 2023 Château Cheval Blanc is an absolutely quintessential Cheval Blanc that's all about complexity, finesse, and elegance. Blackcurrants, mulberries, graphite, spicy wood, smoke, and crushed stone-driven aromatics slowly pick up a kiss of violets and flowers with time in the glass. It's beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced, with ripe, polished tannins and a gorgeous finish. It's possibly in the same family as the 2019 and is going to shine with 5-7 years of bottle age and evolve for 30+ years on its balance and overall harmony. There are roughly 10,683 cases produced. Drink 2031-2055.

Seamless and effortless, this year's Cheval Blanc is so harmonious at this early stage. It opens with aromas of black tea, earth, a hint of pepper, and sandalwood. Extremely poised the wine floats and envelops the palate with cassis fruit. There is extremely fine aromatic precision of violets and iris. Texturally the wine really caresses the palate and then builds and straightens. Mineral and floral in equal measure - it's precise, with a calm restraint but a quiet yet intense power too. Robert Mathias MW.

Fresh and floral on the nose, cool and crisp aromas. Purple flowers, red and purple berries with crayon, graphite and liquorice. Gorgeous texture on the palate, this has grip and bite, tannins are present and quite imposing, really coating the mouth with a powdery, chalkiness. It has some layers of tannin and ripe fruit but with freshness and lift all the way through. It’s not immediately charming and generous, it’s more controlled, but not strict. Fresh, clean, precise with style and finesse and this packs more power than some. Raspberries, chalky cherries, bright blueberries with wet stones, lots of liquorice and slate. Balanced and containing both warm and cool vintage markers - lots of complexity on offer. It’s missing a touch of that gorgeous charm that Cheval does so well, a sense of enrobing, but it’s very well constructed with lots of personality. The largest ever vintage in the Cheval cellars with a yield of 40hl/ha. 3.82pH.

The 2023 Cheval Blanc is uncharacteristically backward on first meeting and it takes time to really fire up its engines. Quite strict and focused (surprisingly so) the bouquet reveals black fruit a touch of bilberry with just a whiff of iris flower. The palate has wonderful symmetry outstanding mineralité and ample tension. It's extremely pure with less weight than the 2022 but perhaps a touch more nerve. Modestly grippy on the finish this "serious" Cheval Blanc will deserve several years in bottle. It's cerebral…and I like that. The 2023 is very different from the 2022—a beautiful minor chord.

52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 40 hl/ha. Cask sample. Purple hue. Restrained compared with Petit Cheval but dense and beguiling. Bright, fresh and smooth but plenty of punch from a polished but solid tannic core. Abundant fruit. Long. Should hold up well. (JL)

One of the most profound wines of the vintage is the 2023 Château 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.

From bottle, the 2023 Château Cheval Blanc is one of the most compelling wines of the vintage, just as it was from cask. Bursting with aromas of cherries and mulberries mingled with notions of violets, rose petal and anise, it's full-bodied, velvety and layered, with a deep and enveloping core of vibrant fruit, ripe tannins and a long, expansive 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.