2016 Cheval Blanc 2016 1500ml

99 POINTS

James Suckling

Wet earth and sliced, fresh mushrooms. Menthol. Dark berries, such as blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied, dense and whole, but you don’t feel the tannins, even though it is so powerful and structured. Detailed and defined. Cashmere. Wonderful finish. Glorious young Cheval. Try after 2025, but so wonderful already.

98 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2016 Cheval Blanc is the first year that replanted Cabernet Sauvignon was included in the Grand Vin. This has an intense, tightly wound bouquet that unwinds with aeration, maintaining stunning delineation and precision and offering scents of blackberry, briar and graphite and a faint hint of dark chocolate. The palate is very harmonious, precise and classic in style, and a little spicier than I recall from barrel. The oak is seamlessly integrated, and the pixelated, fresh, marine-tinged finish lingers in the mouth. Wow! Very different from the more rounded 2015 Cheval Blanc, though this might end up being the more classic but cerebral proposition.

98 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2016 Cheval Blanc has an exquisite bouquet of pixelated black and red fruit, crushed stone, violets and seamlessly integrated new oak; this is utterly seductive. The medium-bodied palate reveals a hint of marmalade on the entry. Powerful and dense, this is an impressive, almost heady nascent wine with plenty of grip and sinew toward the finish. Maybe it lacks that crystalline detail at the moment, but it is clearly a long-term proposition. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

98 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2016 Cheval Blanc is one of the most beguiling wines of the vintage. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2016 is at once wonderfully refined and yet also quite powerful. Dark cherry, espresso, spice, leather, tobacco, mint and lavender give the 2016 tremendous aromatic presence. On the palate, the 2016 is rich, exotic and persistent, with real staying power and captivating balance. Pierre Lurton, Pierre-Olivier Clouet and the team at Cheval Blanc turned out a masterpiece in 2016. Don't miss it.

97 POINTS

Wine Spectator

This has turned into a very dense wine, with waves of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry paste forming the core. Wrapped tightly in layers of tobacco and loam for now, while singed alder, incense, black tea and bergamot notes peek in here and there. The finish rumbles like thunder for now, with the swath of tannins, and there's just a twinge of drought-induced austerity. But there's acidity and drive too, and this will cruise in the cellar for some time. Best from 2025 through 2045.

97 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

Rich, smoky and with powerful fruit, this structured wine also has an impressive perfumed character. Spice, blackberry fruits and rich tannins give wonderful firmness that will allow the wine to age well. Drink this already beautiful wine from 2025.

94 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2016 Cheval Blanc Blanc is a white of real depth and structural intensity. Citrus peel, almond, sage, mint and white pepper notes are highly nuanced and varietal in this 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Powerful and energetic in the glass, with terrific vibrancy, the 2016 has a lot to offer. Blocked malolactic fermentation and twenty months in oak contribute to giving the wine its natural intensity and character.

Jancis Robinson MW

Tasted blind. Heady cocoa nose. Thick and sweet. Impressive for its concentration but I wouldn’t mind a little more freshness. But it’s toasty and fun. And absolutely massive! Score: 17.5/20