CHEVAL BLANC 2003

Menthol, tobacco and incense aromas give way to warm plum, blackberry and black cherry compote flavors. Loam and cedar notes ride through the finish, with the supple fruit lingering. Admirably seductive for the vintage. (JM, Web-2018)

Bright ruby-red. Blackberry, bitter chocolate and shoe polish on the reticent nose; less floral today than the estate's second wine. Then tightly wound and backward but quite penetrating, with subtly sweet flavors of dark berries and bitter chocolate. Not yet especially nuanced in the mid-palate, but shows very good definition and verve and considerable class. Finishes subtle and long, with fine tannins and lingering, sweet suggestions of black fruits, licorice, violet and bitter chocolate. Interestingly, I find more density and breadth in the mouth today than is typical for young Cheval, but less inner-palate complexity; very often it's the other way around. This will be very interesting to follow.

This is very fresh and clean. Full bodied and juicy, with loads of fruit starting with strawberry jam and ending with baskets of fresh fruits. This is exotic and crisp, a truly fabulous 2003 with incredible finesse.

The 2003 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc and 44% Merlot, reveals an exquisite bouquet of mulberries, forest floor, new saddle leather, spice box and spring flowers. The first-growth quality aromatics are followed by a complex medium-bodied wine with more density than anticipated. The wine seems fully mature although there is an unexpected freshness and underlying depth of fruit. This beauty should continue to drink well for another 7-8 years. One of the principal theories of the bizarre, historically hot and dry summer of 2003 is that grapes planted in gravelly and sandy soils were the least successful. If that was true 100% of the time, Cheval Blanc would have made a horrible wine. In fact, both the grand vin and second wine at Cheval Blanc did well in this vintage. It was the earliest harvest in over 110 years at this estate, and the resulting wine is a beauty.