
2016 Cheval des Andes Mendoza Bordeaux Blend (750ml)
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$72.98
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Super refined and beautiful with flowers, spices, dried fruit and hints of stones. Medium to full body with very fine tannins and a gorgeous finish. Shows great finesse and depth. Savory character, as always, but in check.
(7/2019)
The new vintage to be released in September 2019 is the 2016 Cheval des Andes, which was cropped from a completely unusual year—cooler than the average and with an exceptional amount of rain (around 600 liters), yet the wine has achieved exceptional freshness. It's 13.9% alcohol, and there's more red fruit on the nose, which is subtle and elegant, a little closed at first, shy and subtle. They have done great adjustments in the élevage, with the wine matured in 30% to 40% 400-liter barrels and only some 40% new wood. It's 58% Malbec (approximately 50/50 from Luján and Valle de Uco, where they have 15 hectares in Altamira), 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. This has less structure than the 2015, but there's more tension; this is a wine that should develop beautifully in bottle. This is a vintage of precision and with great aging potential. I think this wine is the most elegant produced so far. Bravo! (LG) 97+
(8/2019)
Bright, dark red-ruby. Wild, musky scents and flavors of black raspberry, black pepper, olive tapenade, licorice and rocky salinity. Plush, savory and seamless; a mouthcoating Malbec-based blend with superb depth and palate presence. As concentrated as this wine is, it's medium-bodied in the style of this cooler year but also remarkably nuanced and harmonious from the start, communicating an impression of restrained sweetness. Finishes extremely long and edge-free, with noble tannins and palate-saturating breadth. Incidentally, with this 2016, Cheval des Andes is now made entirely with estate fruit, from their properties in La Compuertas and Altamira. (aged in 70% new oak) (ST)
(9/2019)
An atypical vintage in Mendoza marked by El Niño. The 2016 is also made by the Cheval-Blanc team. Once again the nose suggests a northern Rhône or Syrah bouquet. Al dente raspberry, graphite, lavender and violet hints. Laser-like tannins, perfectly balanced texture, and an impressive and densely-fruited wine elevated by superb tannic structure and freshness. A vertical wine, admirably elaborated. (YC)
(10/2019)
Tight and a little closed on the nose, smoky toasted coffee with sweet and perfumed fruit, lovely floral notes and a real density of plush fruit. A seductive wine that has nice vibrant acidity that crackles through the brooding dark fruit. The alcohol is just in check! (AC) 17/20 points
(9/2019