2012 Cheval Blanc

97 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2012 Cheval Blanc boasts stunning power and a vertical, imposing sense of structure that is quite rare in this vintage. Dark and almost brooding in style, the Cheval is a rare 2012 that absolutely demands cellaring. Smoke, tobacco, incense and dark spices open up with time, but the 2012 is a reticent, tannic wine that is only showing the barest hints of its ultimate potential. This is a magnificent showing and one of the clear highlights of the year.

96 POINTS

Tim Atkin

Cheval Blanc’s yields were unusually low in 2012 because of a difficult flowering that lasted a month and a green harvest in August. The proportion of Merlot was slightly lower than normal, but otherwise this is a typically impressive performance from Pierre Lurton and his team: focused, polished, yet quite closed, with plenty of tannin and minerality, good  density of fruit and the sense that the wine needs at least a decade to show at its best. Drink: 2015-40

95 POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - Wine Advocate

2012 Cheval Blanc - Robert Parker Wine Advocate Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2012 Cheval Blanc reveals lovely cassis, warm black cherries and redcurrant jelly notions with underlying hints of cedar chest, garrigue, Indian spices and damp soil. Medium to full-bodied, it possesses wonderful energy and freshness on the palate with a beautifully poised ethereal nature and long mineral-tinged finish. This elegantly crafted beauty should enter its drinking window in a couple of years and cellar gracefully for another 20+ years. Drink 2020 - 2040.

95 POINTS

Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

With 54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 13.9% alcohol with a pH of 3.78. One of the keys to the vintage at Cheval Blanc was the extensive green harvesting needed, due to the extended time needed for flowering. In the perfume, the wine pops with flowers, licorice, earth, caramel and ripe, sweet blackberries. On the palate, the wine displays sweet black and red fruits, spice and a fresh purity of sweet fruit. The tannins are silky, the wine is fresh and long in the finish, complicated by an herbal, tapenade note buried in the fresh, ripe fruit. 94-96 Pts

95 POINTS

James Molesworth - Wine Spectator

This wine is gorgeous in all facets, offering a simultaneously loamy and creamy mouthfeel, seamless layers of red and black currant, cherry, raspberry and blackberry fruit, and a long, tobacco-fueled finish that features alluring hints of black tea and incense. The fruit and terroir shine in this broad, deep and defined style. Best from 2018 through 2030. 7,665 cases made. –JM

94 POINTS

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

A beautiful wine that always seems to drink well, the 2012 Cheval Blanc has a sweet, fragrant nose of black and red currants, floral nuances and spice. Supple, round and juicy, this wine can be drunk now or cellared for another 15 or more years.

94 POINTS

James Suckling

A Cheval Blanc with an impressive center palate of blueberries, chocolate, almonds and spices. Full body, a solid core of fruit and a long, long finish. Goes on for minutes. Beautiful wine. Seamless tannins. Needs a few years of bottle age. Better in 2017.

Matthew Jukes

Dense, earthy, engaging and more tannic than expected there is a graphite edge to this brooding wine. 19/20