2019 | Cheval des Andes

It has a fresh nose of plum and blackcurrant accompanied by hints of white pepper, mint and violets over a bed of cedar and sandalwood. On the palate, the feel is finely grained with a leaner, more agile flow than in previous years, while the freshness brings plenty of energy before the lengthy finish of fruit and country herb aromas.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2019 Cheval des Andes had a more reductive vinification and élevage, making the wine a bit shy and in need of time to open up, as one of their objectives was to make it more age-worthy. Another objective is to get to a 50/50 blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, which they achieved in this vintage for the first time, going back to the initial character of the wine that was the idea of Argentinean winemaker Roberto de la Mota; so, they are closing the circle and going back to the initial idea, with more implication from the Cheval Blanc team. This is the first vintage fully under the charge of the new French winemaker, Gerald Gabillet,....The wine is young and tender and a bit oaky, which Gerald attributed to the reductiveness; it's ripe without excess, with around 14.2% alcohol, mellow acidity and velvety tannins. There's more Cabernet here, so the aromatic expression can be something between 2017 and 2018, but Cabernet marks the palate a lot and makes the wine more age-worthy, as it provides the structure and length that the Malbec lacks. So, the wine might be less accessible when young and should develop slowly in bottle. It's tasty and supple and has the ingredients and the balance for what they are aiming for. ….The way they want to describe the wine is the Argentinean expression of Cheval Blanc. And I can only agree.

• James Suckling: A refined but spicy Cheval, showing charcoal, blueberries, wild herbs, lavender and hints of bacon and cedar. Medium to full body with extremely fine tannins that get dialed into the fruit with violet, spices and sweet blue fruit at the end. Long and subtle.

Producer Information

Cheval des Andes is one of Argentina's most famous wines. It is made from vineyards in Mendoza and is a joint venture between Saint-Emilion's Château Cheval Blanc, the legendary Premier Grand Cru Classé A, and Argentina's Terrazas de los Andes. The Bordeaux blend wine is made with grapes from vines as much as 80 years old, planted in the Las Compuertas vineyard in Luján de Cuyo.The high-altitude vineyard, located in the foothills of the Andes, covers 50 hectares (124 acres), and is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. The sandy loam soils provide good drainage, causing root systems to dig deep into the ground in search of hydration, making for healthy vines and concentrated grapes. The diurnal temperature variation at the estate, with warm days and cool nights, allows grapes to ripen while retaining acidity. Water for irrigation is provided from Andes snowmelt. The composition of Cheval des Andes varies from vintage to vintage, although the blend is most commonly dominated by Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented by variety, and aged for six months in barrel. After blending, the wine is aged for a further year in up to 60 percent new French oak. The final assemblage is aged in new French oak for an additional six months, then bottled unfiltered and aged at least 18 months before release.

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