2008 Chateau Cheval Blanc (1.5L)

"Exceptionally dark crimson. Very polished. Fragrant and fresh. I got a hit of pine on this wine as well as on its new stablemate La Tour du Pin - maybe from the trees outside the tasting room here at Cheval? Very fine and sculpted and well mannered even if without perhaps quite the spark of life that one would ideally hope for. Very cool and fresh. Lots of very ripe tannin. Clearly lots of Cabernet Franc. Succulent and supple. Ticks all the boxes - am I being niggly to ask for just a little more misbehaviour? Perhaps because I have just tasted the pretty wild Pétrus. Clearly this will have a long life and I can't see it disappointing anyone. But whom will it actually thrill? Limpid and unctuous." JancisRobinson.com

"The 2008 Cheval Blanc (55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc) is a winner from this underrated, classic vintage. Notes of forest floor, Asian plum sauce, black currants, sweet cherries and spice are followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with deep fruit, admirable purity, and a long, textured finish. There is not a hard edge to this wine, and in all likelihood, it can be drunk now or cellared for two decades." Robert Parker's Wine Advocate #194

"This isn't shy about letting a tobacco leaf note weave in and out, while the core of red currant, damson plum and bitter cherry grows and fleshes out as this airs. The long finish lets mineral, red licorice and mesquite check in as well. Shows impressive range, with some youthful grip still to be shed. Best from 2013 through 2020." Wine Spectator

"The 2008 Cheval Blanc has a very precise, mineral-driven bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, energetic and incredibly focused, perhaps even more so than Ausone? The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin though I discerned a patina of oak dragging its heels, waiting to be subsumed. There is great concentration and yet conversely it feels bright and fresh; with aeration evermore nimble and sprightly. Towards the finish there are subtle hints of bay leaf and cedar, the Cabernet Franc taking over the steering wheel from the Merlot. There is a lot going on in this outstanding Cheval Blanc that does not deserve to be in the shadow of the feted 2009 or 2010." Neal Martin, Vinous.com