1998 Chateau Cheval Blanc Premier Grand Cru Classe A, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 12x75cl

Vinous 94+

(a blend of 56% merlot and 44% cabernet franc; 13% alcohol; 32 h/h): Bright ruby. Ripe, intensely pure black cherry, blackcurrant, floral and milk chocolate aromas. Enters silky and suave, with rich red cherry and blackcurrant flavors that give the middle palate a fruit cocktail quality. Almost more Pomerol than Saint-Emilion here, with a rich, fleshy mouth feel and highly polished tannins. Finishes very long and suave, with a pretty smoky, floral note. I also had the opportunity to taste the pure bottlings of the 1998 Cheval’s merlot and cabernet franc, and the cabernet franc was absolutely mesmerizing; the best of these lots went into the Cheval Blanc, and the wine is noticeably better than the Petit Cheval of the same year. That said, given the truly amazing quality of the cabernet franc this vintage, I am utterly convinced that having included more of it in Cheval Blanc’s final blend would have turned this into one of the estate’s five or six best wines ever. The 1998 vintage recorded temperatures close to the yearly averages throughout the growth cycle, and though not particularly hot, it was one of the drier years on record; the harvest took place from September 28 through October 6. [Ian D’Agata, 10/01/2011]

Wine Advocate 100

"The 1998 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-brick in color and absolutely explodes with scents of exotic spices, incense, dried roses, cigar box and licorice, with a core of creme de cassis and dried cherries plus touches of black tea and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with rich, plushly textured fruit and then POW-it hits the mid-palate with an explosion of Chinese five spice and floral perfume sparks, leading to an epically long finish. This cannot fail to impress and can easily cellar for another 30 years or more." [Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 31/05/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2048

James Suckling 100

This structured and powerful red is finally coming out its sleep. It shows intense aromas of dried fruits, mushrooms, forest floor and berries. It’s full-bodied, very dense and velvety, and has an outstanding, ripe and richly fruity finish. A wine that harkens back to the legendary 1947 Cheval-Blanc. Drink or hold. [James Suckling, 08/09/2013]

Jeb Dunnuck 100

Another perfect wine is the 1998 Chateau Cheval Blanc, which is the usual blend of 55/45 Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Possessing an utterly captivating bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, forest floor, spice and dried flowers, it packs plenty of muscle and depth on the palate, yet is also expansive, elegant and seamless, with no hard edges. Just singing, with everything you could want; complexity, richness, elegance, depth, and length, drink this sensational beauty any time over the coming two decades. I m sure it will keep longer, but why in the world would you wait. [Jeb Dunnuck, 12/12/2017]

Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037

Decanter 100

The reference chateau of the vintage, this wine is showing its class here and then some. It was the first year with Bernard Arnault and Albert Frere as owners, with Pierre Lurton coming onboard from his former role at Clos Fourtet. 10% press wine was used, whereas today they use no press wine in the grand vin. It was aged in 100% new oak. The 36ha of vines yielded 32hl/ha, closer to their average than the relatively abundant 1989). The holdings have since expanded to 39ha with the addition of 3ha from Tour du Pin Figeac. 67% of production went in to the grand vin, the rest into Petit Cheval. This is seductive and rich but with a purity and precision. There’s more Merlot in the blend than is typical because the clay soils produced the best quality grapes, and you can see its impact in the textural density – the proximity to Pomerol comes through. [Jane Anson, 14/02/2019]

Anticipated maturity: 2019-2036

Jeff Leve 99

A few more years of age and this could hit 100 Pts. It is a thrill-a-sip wine. The nose is packed with leafy mint, smoke, cherries, licorice, flowers, cocoa, tobacco, and truffles. The wine is intense. full-bodied, opulent, flamboyant and sensuous. This is Cheval Blanc at its sexiest best. The layers and leaves of fruit on the mid-palate and in the seamless finish should stop any winelover in their tracks. [Jeff Leve, 13/01/2024]

Anticipated maturity: 2024-2060

Jane Anson 100

A legendary wine for a reason… this blew (nearly) everything else away around the table, with the only slight hesitation that it still doesn’t feel like it is fully in its drinking window. Remains inky damson in colour. Silky tannins, tobacco, cigar box, crushed peonies, iris, stunning quality, a wine to sink into and think about long after it has left. 100% new oak. 32 hl/ha yield. Not bad for the first year with Bernard Arnault and Albert Frere as the new owners, with Pierre Lurton coming onboard from his former role at Clos Fourtet (we also had the 1989 Clos Fourtet in the same tasting, and he’d done a pretty great job with that one also). The change of ownership came after nearly 150 years with the Fourcaud-Laussac family. [Jane Anson, 06/06/2026]

Anticipated maturity: 2026-2050