Cheval Blanc's 1989 vintage is a concentrated, complex wine with a remarkable freshness. A deep dress of a beautiful color slightly tuiled. The nose opens slowly. It is both complex and concentrated, expressing a harmony of fruit: blackcurrant and prune compote. Slightly spicy and peppery aromas evolve into undergrowth, leather and the scents of Provencal herbs. The mouth is round and fresh. With a beautiful structure, I have a lot of material and airy tannins. Elegant and opulent at the same time, we discover fruity aromas of blackberries, blackcovers and macerated cherries, mixed with an animal trace. Remarkably complex, the finish is of a great length, with smoky notes of Russian leather. The 1989 vintage has matured, but its remarkable freshness suggests that it will remain at its peak for a long time.

The medium to deep ruby-red color is not quite opaque. The nose shows a little clean cassis perfume over precise toasty oak. On the palate lovely freshness allows vivid cassis hints to show ahead of a classic cedary mid-palate that is dominated by the wine's fine tannic structure. Alcohol is balanced & the finish endures well. The fruit on the finish is closed & unsupple.

The best examples of this are simply great. Elegant, floral, refined, and packed with sweet, spicy, red fruits. cigar wrappers, currants, and cherries. There is length, energy, lift, freshness, and complexity. Drink from 2024-2040.

As good, or better than any bottle of 86 Lafite I have ever tasted, time has been kind to this wine. The nose sports a complex array of spices, dried tobacco leaves cedar, leather, and bright red berries. The palate is energetic, firm, and most importantly, regal in character, with loads of ripe, bright, chewy, currants and cassis in the mid-palate and finish. This could be a 100-year wine. Drink from 2024-2080.

Almost opaque ruby red in color. Restrained cassis fruit is dominated by cedary & earthy notes. Black fruit on the palate is quite closed with cedar & meaty notes dominating at present. There are plenty of very firm, fine tannins. The wine's acidity & balanced alcohol ensure it is finely poised, however the fruit has a restrained & elegant nature, leaving the structure to carry the enduring finish

1986 is an astonishing vintage; its very slow development in a way reminds us of the previous generation's wines. Its tannic structure is very tight-knit, very dense and softens only very slightly from year to year. The bouquet is starting to open up; however, we feel that it is still only showing a limited part of its enormous potential. It is full and rich on the palate, still a little bit firm. Should we drink it?. A great vintage, but which seems to belong to another, older era.

2009 is perhaps the greatest young Château Margaux we have tasted over the last 30 years. The 2009 Château Margaux is an unparalleled vintage in its tannic power and fullness (reminding us of 2005) and its softness (reminiscent of 1990). And since its alcoholic degree is barely over 13, its finish remains fresh, flavoursome and of astonishing length. When to drink it? This is a question that is difficult to answer as it already gives so much pleasure, but with such enormous potential.

The Cabernet, is both fine and dense at the same time and dominates the personality of the Château Margaux 2007. The Merlot gives full, tender and rich texture, along with the Cabernet Franc which clearly benefited from the conditions of the vintage. We can start drinking it now even if wisdom would have us wait several more years.

Deep ruby-red color is not quite opaque. The aromas are tightly wound being dusty at first over cassis, them becoming more ceadry & perhaps chalky. The palate is tight & closed at present. There is a delicate leafy cassis fruit but the wine is dominated by plentiful, fine, smooth tannins. Acidity is good alcohol is balanced & the finish has superb length. The wine's fruit is largely closed up, but its excellent balance suggests this could open spectacularly with age.

The wine is a dark, well-pigmented ruby-red in color. Cedar, coffee, tobacco & earthy notes overlay cassis fruit on the nose. The palate is very nicely together, with plentiful coffee notes overlaying black-cherry fruit Balanced acidity & slightly warming alcohol combine to give a firm, well-structured mid-palate. The finish lasts well.

A deep, dark, opaque, glass-staining wine. Restrained, composed & perfumed on the nose with black fruits, cedar, raspberries, blackberries and violets. The palate is very concentrated & extremely refined. Its fine grained tannins are tightly knit, powerful & muscular but in harmony. An outstanding wine.

Surprisingly woodsy, with truffle, cassis, earth, tobacco, cedar chest and blackberry in the developed nose. There is a nice softness to the tannins and fruit. Not yet fully mature, but quite developed for a vintage of Latour at 10 years of age, the wine offers pleasure, refined textures, balance and sweet berries in the finish. Drink now, or wait 5 years for more complexity

Medium to deep ruby red in color. Notes of graphite & chocolate dominate the dark fruit on the nose. The palate is big, rich and concentrated with lots of cassis that is lifted by good acidity. The tannins are huge with good grip, but do not quite close-up the fruit. Alcohol is balanced and the finish has good length. A big wine but with lively fruit & good equilibrium

The purity of fruit here is terrific, with redcurrants, blackcurrants, licorice, lead pencil and hints of fresh basil—so aromatic—that follow through to a full body with creamy, round tannins and lots of volume and fluidity in the center-palate for the vintage. Very structured at the end. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Leave this for at least five or six years. Try after 2030.

Polished and refined with a firm, fine and linear tannin structure. Harmonious. Perfumed violets, roses and subtle licorice. All in balance here, with precise layers of black fruit, minerals and pencil lead. Rather seamless. Firm, yet fine and sleek to the end. Very classy. Fine-velvet texture. 96% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot and 1% petit verdot.

The wine has perfumed Cabernet Franc aromas with violet, spice and touches of black-fruit tannins. Smoky with tannins, a serious, dense structure and succulent richness, the wine is powerful, impressively rich, ready to drink from 2028.

"While this wine has density and richness, the structure gives it an ageworthy shape. Its power is tamed and given sophistication, while acidity and black-plum flavors give freshness. The wine will be impressive. Drink from 2024. Roger Voss" - 96/100, Wine Enthusiast

100/100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2016 Cheval Blanc is blended of 59.5% Merlot, 37.2% Cabernet Franc and 3.3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose is incredibly youthful yet not so shy as some other 2016s at this stage, giving wonderfully intense scents of red currants, black cherries, wild blueberries and violets with nuances of star anise, cinnamon stick, rose hip tea, cigar box and wood smoke plus a touch of beef drippings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has jaw-dropping elegance and depth, offering up layer upon layer of fragrant red and black fruits plus an extraordinary array of mineral sparks, supported by a rock-solid grainy texture, finishing with epic persistence and an edifying perfume. This is a very different style from the rich, opulently hedonic 2015, yet this wonderfully fragrant, beautifully poised and intellectually compelling 2016 is equally extraordinary."

Chateau Margaux is one of the prestigious first growths, and the only one from the Margaux appellation of the left bank of Bordeaux. In existence since 1500, the Ginestet family acquired the property about 1950, then purchased by the Mentzelopoulos in 1977 who still runs it to this day. The Chateau Margaux red blend is an assemblage of 90% Cabernet Sasuvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. A brilliant Bordeaux according to critics boasting powerful aromas of blackcurrants, sweet tobacco, spices, violets and pencil shavings. The palate is elegant, yet complex and compelling. This vintage scored a perfect 100 points from several critics; one of several vintages of the decade to have scored this high. This will age for decades.