1966 Château Cheval Blanc

Following from a delicious half-bottle in February, the Château Cheval Blanc 1966 put in another impressive performance just a few months later. Served blind, it has a typical bouquet for the vintage: tobacco and cigar box, the fruit in the background, tertiary and classic in style. The palate is very well balanced and errs more towards the Left Bank than the Right Bank: structured, firm, aloof but compelling. This is a sublime expression of Cheval Blanc and it deserves to be drunk over the next 8-10 years. Tasted September 2014.

Drink 1976-2000? 22 Sep – 4 Oct average temperature and very dry summer. Therefore good concentration but lots of finesse as well, Tannic finish is a little obvious. Only 20 hl/ha. Very small crop. Brick/yellow rim but very dark in the middle – almost blackish. Liquorice and violets nose – very old style and slightly dry on the finish. Not terrifically long but would of course, like all these wines, be awfully impressive if served in isolation. It was only the magnificence of the 1964 that put it in the shade. (JR)

A lovely wine for serving and drinking immediately but not for keeping. Mid crimson with a wide brick rim. More obviously Cheval than the 1961 – great warmth and minerals and gravel. Really pretty together and sweet and concentrated. Lovely! If anything this particular bottle was drinking better now than the bottle of 1961. SO charming and complete! My sort of wine. Just at the perfect stage of evolution, lift and dry finish. 702 hl of this was made at 12.2% alcohol. (JR)