100 Robert Parker
Deep garnet in color and made of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot, the nose of the 2010 Cheval Blanc is a bit subdued to begin, measuredly opening out to reveal achingly provocative notions of molten chocolate, preserved Morello cherries, baked blackberries, boysenberries and blueberry compote with wafts of underbrush, cigar box, cumin seed and sandalwood. Full-bodied, the palate is a full-on atomic bomb waiting to go off, with very tightly coiled, slowly maturing black fruits eking out glimpses of a vast array of nuances. Still very youthful, it finishes with an incredibly persistent, jaw-dropping display of earth and mineral fireworks. I’d leave this one for another 5 years and drink it over the next 50.
100 Robert Parker
Deep garnet in color and made of 54% Cabernet Franc and 46% Merlot, the nose of the 2010 Cheval Blanc is a bit subdued to begin, measuredly opening out to reveal achingly provocative notions of molten chocolate, preserved Morello cherries, baked blackberries, boysenberries and blueberry compote with wafts of underbrush, cigar box, cumin seed and sandalwood. Full-bodied, the palate is a full-on atomic bomb waiting to go off, with very tightly coiled, slowly maturing black fruits eking out glimpses of a vast array of nuances. Still very youthful, it finishes with an incredibly persistent, jaw-dropping display of earth and mineral fireworks. I’d leave this one for another 5 years and drink it over the next 50.
100 James Suckling
The aroma in this wine is crazy with flowers, mushroom, forest floor, and fruit. It seems like I am walking through a row of the vines in Cheval Blanc when I have my nose in the glass. It's full-bodied, with fabulous layers of ultra-fine tannins and milk chocolate, raspberries, and a phenomenal finish. Truly one of the greatest Chevals ever. Better than 2009. Try in 2020.
98 Wine Spectator
This is stone-cold shut down right now, but why worry? You'll want to wait at least a decade before breaching a bottle as massively endowed as this, with loads of loamy bass notes thumping along underneath a riveting track of licorice snap, pastis-steeped black currant fruit, maduro tobacco and espresso. And then there's an echo of petrichor at the very end that hints at the aromatic fireworks to come with cellaring. Should compete for wine of the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2040. –JM
98 Wine Spectator
This is stone-cold shut down right now, but why worry? You'll want to wait at least a decade before breaching a bottle as massively endowed as this, with loads of loamy bass notes thumping along underneath a riveting track of licorice snap, pastis-steeped black currant fruit, maduro tobacco and espresso. And then there's an echo of petrichor at the very end that hints at the aromatic fireworks to come with cellaring. Should compete for wine of the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2040. –JM
19 Rene Gabriel
55 % Cabernet Franc, 45 % Merlot. 30 hl/ha. Noch verhaltenes Bouquet, Kandisnuancen, Flieder, dunkle Pflaumen, Cassis, Schwarzteenoten, setzt mehr auf Tiefe und Würze als auf Frucht. Fleischiger und gleichzeitiger stoffiger Gaumen, viel Fett und Schmelz in den reichhaltigen Tanninen, gigantische Aromatik die permanent im Gaumen zu nimmt, gebündeltes Finale. Klassischer Cheval der wohl erst in 20 Jahren seine effektive Grösse zeigt. Wenn ich mich zwischen dem Ausone 2010 und den Cheval Blanc 2010 entscheiden muss, dann nehme ich den Cheval! Ohne eine Sekunde nachzudenken. warten (2020 - 2050)
19 Rene Gabriel
55 % Cabernet Franc, 45 % Merlot. 30 hl/ha. Noch verhaltenes Bouquet, Kandisnuancen, Flieder, dunkle Pflaumen, Cassis, Schwarzteenoten, setzt mehr auf Tiefe und Würze als auf Frucht. Fleischiger und gleichzeitiger stoffiger Gaumen, viel Fett und Schmelz in den reichhaltigen Tanninen, gigantische Aromatik die permanent im Gaumen zu nimmt, gebündeltes Finale. Klassischer Cheval der wohl erst in 20 Jahren seine effektive Grösse zeigt. Wenn ich mich zwischen dem Ausone 2010 und den Cheval Blanc 2010 entscheiden muss, dann nehme ich den Cheval! Ohne eine Sekunde nachzudenken. warten (2020 - 2050)
