Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Cheval Blanc is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc. It has the most floral bouquet of the four Serié A Grand Cru Classé: an explosion of crushed violets and potpourri, hints of leather and cigar box, the Cabernet Franc clearly lending this complexity and character. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. It feels wonderfully structured and comes with an insistent grip that coats the mouth. This is backward and almost surly, but you have to stand back and admire the precision and arching structure on the mineral-rich finish. Top-dog Saint Emilion? That's for sure. Tasted January 2016. - Neal Martin

Showing just a hint of color for its age, the wine offers its honeysuckle, white peach, vanilla and grapefruit rind. The best of both worlds, combining all the sweetness of ripe, juicy, citrus fruits and freshness from zippy acidity, this is just now coming around. The slightly honeyed lemon, lime finish really sings today, and it's just getting started. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=2006+Cheval+Blanc

A supple and heady vintage of Cheval, this gains power and amplitude over the course of several days. What sets it apart is the relaxed sophistication cabernet franc can yield from these 50-year-old vines. That adds vinosity to the Cheval's tight build, while the beautiful richness of the wine is classic merlot. It's the color of a black cherry, with the ripe flavor of that fruit darkened by the scent of figs, brightened by a floral note of violets. The tannins are supple, with a depth that will sustain the wine for decades.

Displays lots of milk chocolate, cedar, berry and cappuccino aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, this is structured and layered for the vintage. Mouthpuckering. Needs time. This is one of the wines of the vintage. Best after 2015. – JS

A less exuberant vintage than the 2009 and 2010 that we tasted at the same time, this is a classically knitted-together Cabernet Franc-dominant year, with the emphasis on dark fruits edging towards tertiary brambled character at 17 years old. Mint leaf, tobacco, smoked earth, dried herbs and crushed rose petals. Still plenty of life and grip in this wine, now in its drinking window but with zero rush, and likely to stay at this luscious, inviting moment for decades to come. 50% new oak.

A blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, the 2006 Cheval Blanc is a classic wine from this under the radar vintage and offers a perfumed, complex bouquet of red and black fruits, dried flowers, earth, spice-box, and tobacco. With medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, elegant texture, ripe tannin and impressive length, it’s approachable today yet will keep for two decades or more.

September rainfall hit St Emilion quite hard, and there was some dilution in the grapes, and careful selection and sorting were required. The 2006 Cheval Blanc has recently shown well but this bottle was not entirely satisfactory, though far from faulty. The nose is ripe and intense, with a grapy raspberry character and considerable poise and finesse. On the palate it's still firm and tannic; it's certainly concentrated, but quite grippy too and lacks the charm of the nose. A long chewy finish makes one wonder how the wine will evolve, but mature Cheval Blanc is unlikely to disappoint. Read more at http://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-cheval-blanc-st-emilion-1er-grand-cru-classe-2006-32620#DX40Rdgfvkp1Zg3G.99

Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. The Cheval is a blend of 54% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. This has a very subtle nose, fine definition, soft red-berried fruit, fruitcake and a touch of truffle/damp earth although at the moment it remains a little introverted. The palate has sharp acidity on the entry, a bit of piquancy here, earthy black fruits, allspice, a touch of cloves, rather sharp and pointed at first but mellowing with time in the glass. Quite linear and to be honest, trumped by other Right Bank superstars, but still a lovely Cheval, if not one firing on all cylinders.