Chateau Cheval Blanc 2001

JAMES SUCKLING: "I have always believed in the 2001 Cheval Blanc. It may even be better than the more highly thought of 2000 and it's certainly much less expensive. It sells for about $550 a bottle compared to $1000 a bottle for the 2000. I drank it recently again and it's so layered and gorgeous. A wine with superb texture and cedar and chocolate. Full and velvety tannins with sweet tobacco and meat with dried plums. Firm and chewy yet tight and reserved. So young. Decant two hours before serving. Drink or hold."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Really coming on strong at 16 years of age, the texture is the perfect blend of regal, opulence and finesse. There is volume, sensuous mouth feels and perfume, but there is an undercurrent of green flavors with all those beautiful, plummy sensations in the end note, that stops this from scoring even higher. Decanted about 30 minutes, another 30 minutes would have been a bit better."

WEINWISSER: "Dunkles, intensives Granat-Purpur. Königliches Pflaumenbouquet, herrliche Würznote, Nussaromen, Lakritze, gekochtes Cassis, dunkles Malz und Kandis, füllig und recht fett im Ansatz. Auch im Gaumen füllig, recht viel Fleisch in den runden, ebenfalls fetten, fast molligen Tanninen, Brombeernoten, Heidelbeeren, Vanilleschote, sensationelle Balance, gut spürbar, wie der etwas hohe Merlot-Anteil eine komplexe Statur verleiht, gleicht dem 1995er."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "I was surprised by how soft, opulent, even voluptuous the 2001 Cheval Blanc performed out of bottle as this estate’s wines tend to shut down when young. Its deep ruby/purple color was accompanied by sweet aromas of cranberries, black currants, menthol, Asian spices, and underbrush. This seductive blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc reveals a lush sweetness, medium body, and ripe, well-integrated tannin. A racy effort filled with personality, it should be at its finest between 2007-2018."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Solid, with warm earth, tobacco and roasted alder notes that have melded nicely into a core of steeped black currant and blackberry compote flavors. Shows a lovely tug of earth through the finish, with a humus detail echoing amid the fruit.—Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2030. 6,406 cases made. — JM"