1988 Château Cheval Blanc***
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Tasting notes
The 1988 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that I have tasted three times in recent months. It is an excellent vintage for the Saint-Émilion estate. Refined on the nose, black plum mixes with wild strawberry, iron filings (borrowed from Pomerol?) and hints of blood orange, with mocha in the background. A lot is going on here. The palate is a little spicier than a bottle opened at the property, wonderfully balanced with marjoram and white pepper sprinkled over the finish. What a lovely Cheval Blanc - perfect to drink now. Tasted at the 1988 Bordeaux dinner at Noble Rot Mayfair.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A very healthy dark ruby color that shows only a slight lightening at the edge, this wine shows sweet earth notes intermixed with ripe berry fruit, cassis, licorice, and leather. The wine is spicy, medium-bodied, with a moderately tannic finish that is not likely to fully age out. Anticipated maturity: Now-2014. Last tasted, 12/02.
Berry, cherry and chocolate on the nose, with hints of spices. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a spicy, cedary, dark chocolate aftertaste. Very silky and caressing. Grabs your attention. Muscular for Cheval. Overlooked by many Cheval fans. '88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. 12,000 cases made.-James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2009
The 1988 is more structured, less alcoholic and less intense than the 1989. It exhibits fine ripeness, and a cool, almost menthol, plummy bouquet intertwined with aromas of smoke and new oak. In the mouth, there are some aggressive tannins, but it does not possess the sheer drama of the 1989. It is a very good Cheval Blanc, but having tasted it numerous times in cask and bottle, I had expected it to be more impressive than it appears to be. Anticipated maturity: 1994-2005. Last tasted, 6/93. Aug 1993, www.robertparker.com