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Château Cheval Blanc St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 1990
...The wine possesses all the hallmarks of a hot, ripe year - low acidity, super-ripe, nearly over-ripe fruit, an opulent, oily texture, great sweetness of fruit, and a long, voluptuously-textured finish. In the most recent tasting, I almost mistook it for Le Pin given its showboat-like nose of coconut, toasty new oak, and gobs of smoky, blackcurranty, and cherry fruit. The wine is full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, with layers of extract, and well-concealed tannin. I am increasingly convinced that this is the most profound Cheval Blanc since the legendary 1982. Because of its fleshy, low-acid character, the wine can be drunk, but it is still youthful, with a deeper purple color than the more mature-looking 1989. It should offer exotic opulence for at least another 15-20 years. A compelling Cheval Blanc! Robert Parker
Ratings on Delectable
Conrad Green 
Gorgeous. Soft and supple and open with that great open knit silky texture. Raspberry, a hint of spice, red plum. Really lovely and complex stuff.
Gorgeous. Soft and supple and open with that great open knit silky texture. Raspberry, a hint of spice, red plum. Really lovely and complex stuff.
9.6Conrad Green
Soft plum and roses. Pretty and lush. Some dried herbs, orange rind. Noticeably more advanced than the mag alongside, but gorgeous and balanced.
Soft plum and roses. Pretty and lush. Some dried herbs, orange rind. Noticeably more advanced than the mag alongside, but gorgeous and balanced.
9.4Conrad Green
From mag. Dark plummy fruit. Lush and refined. Black cherry, hints of graphite, earth and violet. This is exceptional. Hints of secondary flavors, ravings resolved. Lush, rounded mouthfeel. Sleek and perfectly balanced. So long. Amazing stuff.
From mag. Dark plummy fruit. Lush and refined. Black cherry, hints of graphite, earth and violet. This is exceptional. Hints of secondary flavors, ravings resolved. Lush, rounded mouthfeel. Sleek and perfectly balanced. So long. Amazing stuff.
9.8
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The 1990 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that once upon a time I drank regularly, although I had not seen it since March 2016. Poured against the 1990 Lafite-Rothschild, this is the clear winner. Still youthful in color with modest bricking. The bouquet explodes from the glass with kirsch, mulberry, antique furniture and black truffle scents. With aeration it becomes more savory, the Cabernet Franc wanting to see more of the olfactory action. The palate is medium-bodied and comes equipped with a stunning velvety texture. This Saint-Émilion feels spherical, conveying a sense of controlled decadence but avoiding any ostentation. This is as good a bottle as I have encountered over the years. Brilliant. Tasted at Noble Rot's “Xmas” dinner. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2019)
The 1990 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that once upon a time I drank regularly, although I had not seen it since March 2016. Poured against the 1990 Lafite-Rothschild, this is the clear winner. Still youthful in color with modest bricking. The bouquet explodes from the glass with kirsch, mulberry, antique furniture and black truffle scents. With aeration it becomes more savory, the Cabernet Franc wanting to see more of the olfactory action. The palate is medium-bodied and comes equipped with a stunning velvety texture. This Saint-Émilion feels spherical, conveying a sense of controlled decadence but avoiding any ostentation. This is as good a bottle as I have encountered over the years. Brilliant. Tasted at Noble Rot's “Xmas” dinner. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2019)
9.8Conrad Green
Lovely and succulent. Broad, plummy and settled. Beautifully balanced and sexy. What a wine.
Lovely and succulent. Broad, plummy and settled. Beautifully balanced and sexy. What a wine.
9.5
Bill Bender
You know you’re having a special wine night when a ‘90 Cheval Blanc is 4th out of 4 wines. Not as rich and ballsy as the ‘98, not as velvet Jesus as the ‘82.....but still top tier. Perhaps a little green and linear. Drinking young and not in full strut yet.
You know you’re having a special wine night when a ‘90 Cheval Blanc is 4th out of 4 wines. Not as rich and ballsy as the ‘98, not as velvet Jesus as the ‘82.....but still top tier. Perhaps a little green and linear. Drinking young and not in full strut yet.
9.4
Robert Cunningham
Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop
Beautiful and complex
Beautiful and complex
9.4
Doug Kahn
Sweet
Sweet
9.6Ian Blackburn
Once again Cheval Blanc shows why it's such a legendary wine. The perfume (pencil, leather, Stone, braised beef, patchouly) is so hypnotic it draws you in and you do not want to let it go. Some of my favorite wine experiences, have involved various vintages of the "white pony." 1990 has an amazing reputation in this bottle did not disappoint the etched St-Emilion earth meets cab franc and merlot - like a great romance novel ... this wine me live happily ever after. Coming in first place next to Petrus (95) and Angelus (95) - in a blind tasting at Gwen in LA at wineLA "best bottle" dinner 2.8.17
Once again Cheval Blanc shows why it's such a legendary wine. The perfume (pencil, leather, Stone, braised beef, patchouly) is so hypnotic it draws you in and you do not want to let it go. Some of my favorite wine experiences, have involved various vintages of the "white pony." 1990 has an amazing reputation in this bottle did not disappoint the etched St-Emilion earth meets cab franc and merlot - like a great romance novel ... this wine me live happily ever after. Coming in first place next to Petrus (95) and Angelus (95) - in a blind tasting at Gwen in LA at wineLA "best bottle" dinner 2.8.17
9.8
Rafael Landestoy
Damn I wish it was my birthday every month. This was absolute perfection and despite the amazing wines we had, clearly the wine of the night.
Damn I wish it was my birthday every month. This was absolute perfection and despite the amazing wines we had, clearly the wine of the night.
10
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