Château Cheval Blanc 2023 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé ‘A’

William Kelley (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)
(98-100)/100 punten
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.

James Suckling
(98-99)/100 punten
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.

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
98/100 punten
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 Wine Cellar Inside 
(97-99)/100 punten
The Cabernet Franc makes a strong impression in the nose with its tobacco, flowers, black, with red fruits, chocolate, orange skin, and mint leaf in the nose. However, it is on the palate with its length, purity, vibrance, elegance, and refinement that is the star of the show. The wine starts slow, building in intensity as it lingers. But once it gets going, you find layer, after layer of vibrant, silky, electric fruits. Perfectly ripe, balanced, and fresh, the finish holds with you for close to 60 seconds. The chateau thinks it is better than the 2022, I am not sure. But, I am ready to blind taste both, again, and again to find out for sure. The key to the vintage this year is the uniqueness, and inclusion of each parcel. With 2023, all 41 parcels produced fruit used in the Grand Vin allowing for a true representation of the vineyard into the wine. In other words, 2023 is a vintage where the terroir provides the shape, and character to the wine, more than the climatic conditions. The wine is made from 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.65% ABV, 3.8 pH. The harvest began September 6 for the Merlot. The Cabernet Franc took place September 12 - October 3. Drink from 2030-2065.

Jeb Dunnuck
(96-98)/100 punten
The Grand Vin 2023 Château Cheval Blanc is based on 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and, as always, is resting in 100% new French oak. It's deep ruby/plum-hued and offers a gorgeous array of ripe black cherries, currants, leafy herbs, spring flowers, and spicy oak. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Cheval with gorgeous mid-palate depth, ripe, building, yet polished tannins, and a certainly salty, mineral character on the finish. This is a classic, regal, aristocratic Cheval Blanc that will need bottle age, but it’s absolutely gorgeous. It's the finest wine I tasted on the Right Bank.

Jancis Robinson
18/20 punten
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. Drink 2032 – 2050

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(96-98)/100 punten
The 2023 Cheval Blanc is uncharacteristically backward on first meeting, and it takes time to really fire up its engines. Quite strict and focuses (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.

Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
(95-98)/100 punten
The 2023 Cheval Blans is silky, elegant and exceptionally polished. Cabernet Franc is rarely as expressive as it is here. Everything in the 2023 is about detail. All the elements are so well balanced - so integrated. Red/purplish berry fruit, mint, cinnamon, rose petal and blood orange meld together, while seamless tannins wrap it all up in grand style. What a wine.