Chateau Cheval Blanc St-Émilion 1995

93 POINTS

Wine Spectator

Medium ruby-garnet edge. Intense aromas of plums, cherries and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and very tight, with supersilky tannins and a long finish. Solid core of fruit. Still holding back.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2009.

93 POINTS

Stephen Tanzer - Vinous

Good full red. Profound, multidimensional nose combines redcurrant, plums, raspberry, cherry, mocha and humus: really quite singular. Wonderful sweetness and depth of flavor; lush but with a firm spine. Already offers compelling inner-mouth perfume, but I suspect this wine will soon close down. Finishes with terrific length and very suave, sweet tannins that coat the teeth.

93 POINTS

Ian D'Agata - Vinous

(a 53/47 blend of cabernet franc and merlot; 13% alcohol; yield of 45 h/h): Bright red. Pure aromas of strawberry, flowers, soy sauce, espresso and minerals. Then clean and straightforward on the palate, with nicely balanced flavors similar to the aromas. Finishes very long and smooth. A very good Cheval Blanc, bigger than the 1996 but perhaps a touch less delineated; choosing between the two amounts to a case of different strokes for different folks. This was a warm year: temperatures during the 1995 growing season were on average 1.5°C higher than the previously recorded annual averages, with a very hot July and August, and the harvest took place early, between September 15 and 28. In fact, only the 1989 and 1990 harvests began earlier.

92 POINTS

Thomas Matthews - Wine Spectator

Elegantly structured and packed with flavor, this shows fragrant cherry and toasty aromas with ripe cherry and spicy flavors. It's beautifully balanced and already delicious.--Cheval-Blanc vertical. –

92 POINTS

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

This Cheval Blanc (a 50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc blend in 1995) is dark ruby/purple-colored with an opaque middle. It exhibits a sexy, penetrating fragrance of chocolate, vanilla, black plummy fruit, minerals, and exotic fruits (coconuts). Fatter and richer than it was last spring, this layered, opulently-textured, medium-bodied wine possesses gorgeous reserves of fruit, glycerin, and extract. Its low acidity, moderate tannin, and wonderful purity suggests an outstanding example of Cheval Blanc. While it will not rival the 1990 or 1982, the 1995 is significantly better than the 1989 and 1988. Anticipated maturity: 1999-2018. Last tasted 11/97

92 POINTS

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

A pretty, attractive Cheval Blanc, the 1995 contains a higher percentage of Merlot in the final blend than usual (50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc). This wine has not developed as much fat or weight as its younger sibling, the 1996, but it appears to be an outstanding Cheval Blanc with an enthralling smoky, black currant, coffee, and exotic bouquet. Complex, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors are well-endowed and pure, with surprisingly firm tannin in the finish. Unlike the sweeter, riper 1996, the 1995 may be more structured and potentially longer-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.

Jancis Robinson MW

Sweet and simple. Lovely gentle well-knit texture. Sweet and toasty – this could be old fashioned Cheval. Very healthy and reassuring health drink. Neat and fresh and long. Convincing and rich. Some slight rawness. Score: 18.5/20

Jancis Robinson MW

Rich and soft. Gentle texture. Very flattering and subtle. A very, very good 1995. Long, sweet and spicy. A very gentle hand here. Score: 18/20