Name: 2020 Cheval des Andes Cheval des Andes
Brand: Cheval des Andes
Price: 94.94 USD
Availability: PreOrder
Rating: 96 (5 reviews)

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Reg: $109.94

$94.94

Pre-Arrival: 24+ btls

ETA: Jul. 2025

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WA 98

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, August 2023

The 2020 Cheval des Andes was harvested from the last of February for the first time ever. It was Gabillet's second vintage at Cheval des Andes, and that year, he had to start without waiting for Pierre Olivier Clouet and Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc; when they arrived, they had finished picking the Malbec, which surprisingly was fresher in Las Compuertas (because of the higher percentage of clay?) than in Altamira (where the vines suffered more stress), saving the freshness. They now harvest using cold trucks (for the first time), and they also started earlier in the morning (six in the morning, impossible earlier in Mendoza...), which he reckons was very good for the precision of the wine. They used 40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 400-liter oak barrels and 20% 2,500-liter foudres, half of them new and with an élevage of 15 months on average, depending on the lots and varieties from 12 to 18 months. The final blend was 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, which makes a comeback as it was not used since 2016. The key was to finish the fermentation of the Petit Verdot without skins, and that way, they have been able to use it in the blends of 2021, 2022 and 2023 in small but increasing percentages. This is slightly riper than 2019, with a little more alcohol (14.5%) and with very good structural tannins but saving the freshness, and it has the spicy side from the Petit Verdot (Gabillet talks about white pepper). The wine has the ultra sleek and polished texture and the elegance and the balance that is the signature here; the wine is very clean and precise. I see very good regularity across the three vintages I tasted next to each other—this 2020 and the 2018 and 2019. Overall, this is a triumph over the adverse conditions of the vintage. They produced their usual 100,000 bottles (since 2018), as they are renewing their vineyards and want to keep the volume stable. They produce this volume from the 36 productive hectares they have in Las Compuertas and Altamira.

JS 97

jamessuckling.com, March 2023

Ripe, baked dark cherries with spices and some violets. Hints of graphite, cocoa powder, incense and black pepper. Dried rose petals. A slightly fuller Cheval des Andes with tense, silky tannins and a lingering, generous...

VN 96

Vinous, September 2023

The 2020 Cheval des Andes is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot from Paraje Altamira in the Uco Valley and Las Compuertas in Lujan de Cuyo. Aged in French oak barrels, it's purple in the...

DC 95

Decanter, July 2023

This almost half-half Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec with 2% Petit Verdot is rich and full in the mouth. Tannins are massy and filling, this has power and dominance with concentrated blackcurrant, plum and black cherry...

TWI 95

The Wine Independent, August 2023

The 2020 Cheval des Andes is made from 49% Malbec, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it starts off a little broody with tar and black olives notes giving way to a core of...

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type	Red
Varietal	Proprietary Blend
Country	Argentina
Region	Mendoza
Vintage	2020
Size	750ML
Percent alcohol	14.5%
Closure	Cork

The 2020 Cheval des Andes is a proprietary blend from Mendoza, Argentina. This red wine, composed of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot, is the product of a collaborative effort between Chateau Cheval Blanc and Terrazas de Los Andes. The wine is sealed with a cork and has an alcohol content of 14.5%.

Professional reviewers have praised the 2020 vintage highly. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded it an impressive 98 points, noting its unique harvesting timeline which began in late February for the first time. The review highlights the efforts of winemaker Gérald Gabillet and the innovative use of cold trucks for harvesting, which contributed to the wine’s freshness. The Advocate describes the wine as "slightly riper than 2019, with a little more alcohol," emphasizing its precision and freshness.

Decanter gave the wine a solid 95 points and appreciated its rich and full-bodied nature. The publication describes the wine as "almost half-half Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec with 2% Petit Verdot," noting its "power and dominance" with concentrated flavors of blackcurrant, plum, and black cherry. They also highlight the wine's "highly spiced and sun-kissed" profile, with notes of liquorice, black pepper, and tobacco. Decanter mentions that the alcohol is slightly noticeable, but it matches the wine's hefty frame.

The Wine Independent also rated the wine at 95 points, focusing on its "full-bodied palate" and "solid frame of grainy tannins." The review points out the wine's initial broody notes of tar and black olives, which give way to plum preserves, stewed black cherries, and mulberries.

James Suckling awarded the wine 97 points, praising its "ripe, baked dark cherries with spices" and "tense, silky tannins." He notes the presence of graphite, cocoa powder, and dried rose petals, describing the wine as ripe yet restrained and precise.

Finally, Vinous gave the wine 96 points, commending its well-judged approach to the warmth of the 2020 vintage. Joaquin Hidalgo describes the wine as "dry and velvety on the palate, with rich, polished tannins" and a "dynamic and long-lasting" finish.

Overall, the 2020 Cheval des Andes is a highly-rated, powerful red wine that balances ripe fruit flavors with a structured and polished finish.