Description
CellarTracker: 94/100
Gabriel
| Drinking maturity | drink up |
|---|---|
| Valuation | 18/20 |
| First tasted in 1989, a small sip in a stressful situation: full-bodied, peppery astringency, still developing. Then in 1993 at the Mövenpick Cellier Zurich at a '66 rarities tasting, the best wine, at the moment even better than Latour: sweet, complex nose; wild berries, ginger, very dense. Sweet on the palate, spicy, velvety, sandy flow, still has plenty of reserves. All later tasting notes were also consistent and always unquestionably at a 19/20 point level. Now and again you can still find this wine for around 300 francs. Once again, this is a sad example of how the greedy market mechanisms fortunately only touch the biggest idiots. Or is it perhaps due to the fortunate circumstance that this wine was wrongly awarded only 85/100 points by the American Wine-Robi? If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a single bottle of wine, then I'm going to do it for sure. And this grandiose Cheval 1966 has never disappointed me, which unfortunately cannot be said of the 82 from the same winery. Note from 1998: Noble wood bouquet; infinitely multi-faceted, candied sweetness, herbal liqueur, fine colheita spice note. Initially full-bodied on the palate with notes of laurel, herbs and cough drops, slender on the finish but with great length. A wine delicacy of a special kind - a great dancer for the Grand Théâtre. 02: Rather light colour, orange rim on the outside, but quite rich on the inside. A malty, spicy bouquet, roasted sesame, Irish moss and ripe Cabernet Franc spice; very complex with a thousand herbs in it. Nutty on the palate, even a hint of nutmeg, sultana tones, dried coriander and again these sweet, stunning malt flavours, gently grainy in the flow and thus reminiscent of the likewise somewhat rustic 75 Cheval. We tasted it several times, and the scores were always between 18/20 and 19/20 points. 05: The night before our Bordeaux departure for the 2004 primeur tasting. Max Gerstl was in the mood for a nice red wine and donated this bottle at the Mövenpick Hotel at Zurich Airport. Beforehand, however, we had negotiated the price of this rarity down and when it was fixed, we insisted on a plate of Grisons (included). As we knew the head waiter very well, this was also included! The wine was fragile, aged, then became sweeter and sweeter and (almost) built up to a grand finale. (18/20). Ripe purple colour, brownish reflections, brightening rim. Delicate bouquet, multi-layered, fine, sweet terroir notes, dark malt, cold tea jug, clear Cabernet Franc spice in the form of subtle notes of green belt pepper. Slender palate, fine texture, ripe acidity and elegantly balanced, the tannins are flattering and give the wine endless charm. A very good '66 that can be enjoyed in top form for at least another 10 years. (18/20). A magnum with the two Zanini's at the Bottegone del Vino in Lugano. A herbal round dance, energetic and dynamic with a lavish amount of herbal notes, just as you would expect from a great Cheval Blanc. This magnum was 19/20 and I added the word tango. So if it wasn't a wine, but music, this term would be appropriate. 09: Another magnum. This time at the Trocard's in St Emilion at a dinner. The wine was served blind. I smelled it and looked for the 1959 vintage, because a few days earlier I had tasted the equally malty and figgy 59 Malratic-Lagravière. Well then, this magnum was again easily at 19/20 and kept increasing with air. 09: a nose like a sauna infusion, eucalyptus, wet cedar wood, gingerbread, cardamom, speculoos biscuits, ground ginger. Classic on the palate, rather light but well balanced and with a fine freshly ground white pepper note, again pastry notes on the finish, this time butterfly. Scored 19/20, at least 18/20 is to be expected. 10: Brownish purple colour. Nutty, herbal, gingerbread and speculoos biscuits, white pepper flour. Quite a lot of harmony on the palate, soft, velvety cashmere contours, wonderful light malty finish. (18/20). 12: A cork bottle! 15: Matt, medium-dark wine red colour. A dream bouquet, it smells of sauna infusion with eucalyptus, catnip and thyme, indicating depth underneath, dark malty sweetness and a nuance of rose hip jelly, Irish moss and wonderful wild leather notes. Still fresh on the palate, well-supporting acidity. This 1966 actually shows the wonderfully spicy Cabernet Franc flavours. Slightly dry, but still quite powerful. A fabulous 19-point bottle. 16: Medium-dark brown colour, lightening, still transparent rim. Brilliant bouquet, lots of Irish moss, dried walnut flesh, light malt, a hint of caramel and very delicate buttery notes. Cold teapot and ricola sweets in the second attack. On the palate with a full-bodied texture, still very good and again delivering the same flavours as in the nose. Slightly crumbly due to the dry tannins, but they convey all these wonderful flavours. Over and over again. 19/20. 18: In Bremen. Dry spicy nose with lots of leather tones, almost turning towards horse saddle, with malt and gingerbread behind it. The palate shows signs of maturity, the texture is slightly brittle. Gives a pinch more on the nose than on the palate. So now it really is high time. | |
