1981 Cheval Blanc Bordeaux Blend

Bordeaux Blend - 750ML
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REVIEWS

VN 92 WA 90 WS 90
VN 92

Vinous, December 2023

The 1981 Cheval Blanc has long been one of the over-achieving wines of a patchy vintage, though I had not seen a bottle for some time. This has a refined bouquet with black fruit, briary and light forest floor scents. The...
WA 90

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, January 1998

I had this wine several times from the barrel and also twice in comparative tastings prior to bottling. I never gave it more than average marks. Tasted numerous times after bottling it is a different wine relatively rich...
WS 90

Wine Spectator, March 1999

Maturing now but still vibrant this offers berry cedar and tobacco aromas and flavors a bit lean but with good intensity. Drink now through 2009.--Cheval-Blanc vertical. –TM

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type Red
Varietal Bordeaux Blend
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Sub-region Saint Emilion
Vintage 1981
Size 750ML

Formerly known as vin de Figeac, this wine was first sold under the name Cheval Blanc in 1852. The first gold medal won by Cheval Blanc came at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris and that distinction appears on the label.

Each vineyard plot is vinified separately. At the start of fermentation, the juice is gently pumped over three times daily. As fermentation proceeds, pump-over frequency decreases and is eventually stopped when the desired level of extraction has been reached.

The young wine is aged 16 to 18 months in new French oak barrels. Six to seven different coopers are used to ensure complexity and harmony. During this period, the wine is racked by hand five to seven times. Blending takes place after the first three months.