LeDomduVin: Chateau Cheval Blanc Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2018

Chateau Cheval Blanc 2018

The other day, I opened, tasted, and served this beauty of a wine. It was way too young, but what an incredible wine! 

It is almost a "sacrilege" to open such a young wine when you know it will definitely benefit from years, even decades, aging in the cellar. 

However, for some reason, I had been lurking at this bottle for a while and wanted to taste it. That night, I made up my mind and decided to open it for the host and his guest. 

What a coincidence when the guest arrived at the dinner with a bottle of Cheval Blanc 2011. I was like: "Wow, I must have read your mind, I opened a 2018 vintage for tonight!" Even the host was surprised by the coincidence. 

Once again, my instinct served me well, or the odds favored me. 😊👍🍷

2018 Chateau Cheval Blanc Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 

A blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cheval Blanc is a stunning wine! Offering a combination of ripe dark fruits and floral and mineral scents mingling with earthy, spicy, and oaky notes. It is fresh, rich, fruity, complex, sophisticated, elegant, structured, and textured. Well-balanced between the ripeness and richness of the fruit, the complex aromas, the refreshing acidity, and the present yet integrated and velvety tannins, it expands generously from the juicy attack, leading to the layered mid-palate till the lingering finish. A superb wine with great aging potential for those patient enough to wait for it! 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @chevalblancofficial #chevalblanc #saintemilion #saintemiliongrandcru #grandcru #bordeaux #redwine #tastingnotes #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wine #vin #vino #wein

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LeDomduVin: 3 better than 2...

3 better than 2…

For certain things in life, it is said, “One is not enough, and three is too many!” 😉😄😅

However, 3 bottles may not be enough when it comes to wine.

Cheval Blanc Saint Emilion 2018

A blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cab Franc, and 6% Cab Sauv, lovely scents emanate at the opening, filling the air with ripe red and black berries aromas, complemented with floral, autumnal, and tobacco notes. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is rich, ample, graceful, generous, and layered, with ripe fruit and silky texture. The present but integrated tannins provide excellent structure. It expands nicely from the attack to the long finish. Its welcomed freshness and seamless profile help to compensate for its ripeness and 14.5% alcohol. Complex, elegant, charming, and already enjoyable now, it will reward those who wait for it a little.

Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2016

Served after the fuller and richer Cheval Blanc 2018, Mouton 2016 appeared relatively flat and inexpressive. Was it its regular 13.5% alcohol, compared to the overwhelming 14.5% of the Saint Emilion? It showed better after a while, boasting dark berries aromas mixed with floral and herbal scents and forest floor, earthy nuances. A blend of 83% Cab Sauv, 15% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, this is an elegant, vibrant, fresh, medium-bodied, and earthy wine with a delicate and aromatic profile, a lovely mineral, silky texture, and a good (if light) overall structure. Still, it lacks length on the finish, as it vanishes too quickly for such a good vintage and pedigree. Will it develop? Time will tell!  

Vieux Chateau Certan Pomerol 2016

A blend of 85% Merlot, 14% Cab Sauv, and 1% Cab Franc, VCC 2016 is a beautiful wine. Boasting attractive crushed red berries, licorice, graphite, and mineral aromas with gentle earthy and oaky nuances. The palate combines elegance, richness, complexity, ripeness, freshness, texture, and structure, framed by chewable tannins, providing excellent substance and subsistence, greatly expanding from the lovely attack to the long finish. It is focused, profound, complex, layered, and sophisticated; with this tastefully enjoyable impression, you could masticate it like one of your favorite steak cuts. I love the chewiness of this wine. Then again, VCC is one of my favorite wines ever! 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom  

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #bordeaux #redwine @chevalblancofficial #chevalblanc #saintemillion @chateaumoutonrothschild_ #moutonrothschild #pauillac @vieuxchateaucertan #vieuxchateaucertan #pomerol #sommelier

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2024, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

Tuesday Wines by ©LeDomduVin 2021

Tuesday wines... 😁👍🍷

Some of the wines I opened, tasted, and served last night. 

@champagne_bollinger

Bollinger PN VZ 16 (Blanc de Noirs)

This 100% Pinot Noir, crafted with 50% Vin de Reserve (reserve wine) and 50% from the 2016 vintage, from grapes harvested in vineyards located in Verzenay (abbreviated as VZ), is crisp, elegant, refined, rich, complex, and layered, with baked apple, yellow stone-fruit, fresh almond, viennoiserie, and mineral notes. Fresh and festive. 

@domaineleflaive

Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Clavoillon" 2018

Undoubtedly one of my favorite producers for the past 30 years, I can only praise this beautiful wine, elegant and refined, rather light and timid, and probably too young to drink, yet, still delivering finesse, precision, structure, and focus, with notes of white flowers, yellow stone-fruit, toast, and fresh almonds, mingling with minerality and zesty acidity. Lovely. (Decanted 10 minutes before serving to give a boost)

@domainedelavougeraie

Domaine de la Vougeraie Bâtard-Montrachet 2014

Wow! What a wine! There is something quite special and unique about this wine, where razor-sharp limey acidity collides with bright and mouth-watering minerality to enhance the precise and finely layered, structured, and textured expanding palate, boasting fresh lime, white flowers, stone's dew, yellow fruit, and toasted notes. Perfectly balanced, harmonious, and integrated. Looooved it. (Decanted 20 minutes before serving). 

@domaineannegros

Domaine Anne Gros Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru "Le Grand Maupertui" 2002

Fragile and feminine, slightly shy at the opening, it rapidly opened up, unveiling an elegantly floral nose with bright red cherry fruit, stony minerality, and earthy notes. The palate is rather light, yet, bright, chiseled, balanced, complex, satiny, tangy, and earthy at the same time. Beautifully bred and very attractive. 

@chateauchevalblanc_

Cheval Blanc Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2001

Like the last few times, it showed wonderfully. Extremely satisfying after 30 minutes of opening. Elegant, with a velvety texture, medium body, and beautiful fruit mingling with floral and herbal, earthy notes. Gorgeous savoriness. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

@ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #tastingnotes #ledomduvin #bollinger #domaineleflaive #domainedelavougeraie #domaineannegros #chevalblanc 

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2021 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, drawings, illustrations, visuals, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Visiting Old and Rare Ladies | (Part 2) | TLC as needed

Visiting Old and Rare Ladies | (Part 2) | TLC as needed

On my previous post (here), I was telling you that, 2-3 times a week, I'm visiting the Old and Rare Ladies of the Display Cellar of the French Restaurant "Le Pan Apicius" located in the Headquarters Building of the company I have been working for, for the past 5 years, (Goldin Group), to provide them with some TLC (Tenderness, Love and Care) as needed. 

As you know, storage conditions, climate and environment are crucial for these Ladies to age gracefully and the best way possible without getting too "old", "decrepit" and/or "unbearable" to quickly (Am I still talking about bottles of wine? 😉). 

However, do not freak out Ladies, it is unavoidable, with age come skin creases and outfit crisis (i.e. understand damaged or deteriorating label), and I'm here for you to help and remedy to this undesirable situation (I think that I'm not going to make any friends amongst the women reading this post...)....

So here we are, a few weeks ago, we had a major issue with the cooling unit maintaining the temperature and humidity levels in the display cellar (which unfortunately took a few days to be repaired) and I realised that the humidity level was going down around 50-55% instead of the usual and ideal 70-75% level.

You see the problem with old ladies is that once they lay down comfortably and adapted to their environment, better not move them to prevent from choking or brusk them, moreover they get very cranky and take days to settle down back in the right mood after being moved ...

As a consequence, and despite the use of additional water buckets placed in the cellar the duration of the repair, some of these old and rare Lady's labels started to dry up and get slightly detached.

It was a horrible sight for a Sommelier like me...  I couldn't watch my old Ladies friends dried up... 

I had to do something.. And so I did... I decided to dress them up with a plastic film to maintain the label in place and avoid further deterioration... a sort of a makeup to make them pretty and resplendent once again....   what will I not do for these Ladies.... ?!?  How could I resist facing these "Grand Dames" in great distress? 

Let's get dressed up Ladies.... especially you... yeah, you... the very old ones (...antic should I dare to say... historical might be better) from one of the most unique collections of Chateau d'Yquem outside the Chateau with vintages dating back to 1825... I really don't want to see you undressed... 

Latour 1945 detached Label  © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 detached Label  © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 bottle without the label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 detached label © LeDomduVin

Label Protection Operation Tools © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 detached label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 detached label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Latour 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Mouton 1947 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Mouton 1949 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Mouton 1949 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 slightly damaged and detached label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 slightly damaged and detached label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1945 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

H Jayer 1996 Vosne-Romanée Cros- Parantoux label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1856 slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1856 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1857 slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1857 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Cheval Blanc 1949 slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Cheval Blanc 1949 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Cheval Blanc 1949 damaged and slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Cheval Blanc 1949 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1925 slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1925 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1961 damaged label © LeDomduVin

Lafite 1961 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1891 slightly detached label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1891 with plastic film covered label © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1825 © LeDomduVin

Yquem 1825 with plastic film covered label (just in case) © LeDomduVin

Beautiful, aren't they? Yes, I know, this Display Cellar is a Sommelier, or should I say a collector, dream come true. 

I feel very privileged and humbled to be able to hold and take care of these beauties, memories of the past who survived history and still live to this day... They need to be preserved and tend to until maybe one day someone decides to lay them forever in a museum or offer them a better end by savoring them religiously right after listening to their last whisper when releasing the cork.... and let them finally take their last breath...  (sigh)

NB: I hope you get the metaphors in my way of writing these posts... otherwise ask someone to explain you... it is second degree mixed French-American humor... but some of you might not get it at all.... (sigh) 

More post like this coming soon, so stay tuned. 

To be continued.....

Santé, 

LeDomduVin a.k.a. Dominique Noël