98
Jonathan Choukroun - Vert de Vin
The nose is elegant, fresh, racy and offers complexity, a certain power as well as a certain straightness. There are notes of fairly ripe blackberry, small black fruits and more slightly violet associated with touches of nutmeg, crushed small red fruits (currants …), pepper as well as discreet hints of lilac, leaf. of dried chestnut, zan, flowers, with a subtle hint of truffle and serious saline. The palate is fruity, elegant, nicely fresh, saline and offers a gravelly side, richness in balance, a little tension, minerality, a nice tangy frame, a discreet tight side in its richness as well as a nice airy side. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of Boysenberry, fairly ripe strawberry, pulpy cherry and more slightly of small plums associated with hints of nutmeg, cardamom, redcurrants, discreet hints of pepper, chocolate as well as ‘with a delicate hint of toasted hazelnut, almond and salinity. Tannins are suave, elegant and subtle. Nice mastery of the tannic load. Good length. Beautiful classicism! A wine that offers a lot of delicacy and subtlety.
97 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An underrated vintage, the 2011 Château Cheval Blanc is evolving brilliantly. Wafting from the glass with aromas of smoky cassis, blackberries, loamy soil, tobacco leaf, bitter chocolate, mint and violets, it's full-bodied, velvety and multidimensional, with a layered core of fruit, rich and powdery structuring tannin and a long, resonant finish. While the 2009 and 2010 are more powerful and unctuous, readers who prize Cheval Blanc for its extraordinary complexity and unique perfume might well prefer the 2011, as it is a wine that could come from nowhere else.
96 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com
A vintage that’s being drunk with abandon in France these days, the 2011 Chateau Cheval Blanc showed beautifully, and the firm tannins that define this vintage are nowhere to be found here. Sweet black fruits, spice, incense, and exotic flowers define the bouquet and it has classic Cheval Blanc complexity. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, with sweet tannins and a great finish, it’s a beautiful Saint-Emilion to drink over the coming 2-3 decades.
