1971 Château Cheval Blanc
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Tasting notes
Opened by Pierre Lurton, who was sad that I could not celebrate my half-century in style, this bottle of 1971 Cheval Blanc had been reconditioned at the property in 1999. It has a ferrous nose of peaty scents and undergrowth but just enough vestige of black fruit (less than when I regularly drank this in the early noughties). The palate is balanced and gains cohesion with aeration, though never powerful like vintages in the 1980s. There are slightly grainy, black fruit notes laced with graphite and dried blood and a little attenuation on the finish, but otherwise, this is holding up nicely. Tasted at Cheval Blanc.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The bouquet on the 1971 Cheval Blanc has a savoury, almost ferrous tincture on the nose, but that is supported by satisfying levels of strawberry and cranberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied. Elegant and refined, veins of clove and bay leaf infuse the surprisingly fleshy red fruit and impart a silky texture and more precocity than you would presuppose. Quite sensual on the finish whereby the Merlot is in the driving seat. Lovely. Tasted in at a dinner in London.
Magnum served blind initially alongside Monte Bello 1971. Wonderfully sweet, round and florally aromatic with a beautifully smooth texture. A brilliant wine, even if not a blockbuster, and one that I was given blind by owner Jacques Hébrard when I visited the château while researching The Great Wine Book in 1981. I'm delighted to be able to add a tasting note on it to our database – even if it is arguably more enthusiastic than explicatory. Still going strong. (JR)
Somewhat of a disappointment, the 1971, while very good, has in the last several years, begun to brown badly. Nevertheless, the wine still has plenty of sweet fruit, a burnt, roasted character to its bouquet, and medium body. The 1971 is a pleasant, lowbrow Cheval Blanc that should be drunk over the next 2-3 years. Anticipated maturity: Now. Last tasted, 10/90.
About the producer
Ch. Cheval Blanc is one the finest producers in Bordeaux. The Saint-Emilion estate’s Cabernet Franc-dominant wines are consistently among the top wines of the vintage.