1986 CHÂTEAU CHEVAL BLANC 1986

(06-2013) The nose is enchating. Open and aromatic. There are forest mushrooms, truffle, wax and tabacco, noble essences. The mouth is very ripe and balanced. Creamy, rich and very very long.

(03-1999) A big wine with depth and balance. Vibrant aromas of plum and chocolate hint at its richness, but the flavors are still hiding under full, firm tannins. It has great potential.

(12-1997) At one time I thought the 1986 was better than the 1985, but the open-knit charm and currant exotic personality fo the 1985 makes a more persuasive case for it than for the more reserved, tannic, and backward 1986. The 1986 still has a youthful dark ruby saturated color with no amber at the edge. The wine possesses a developing bouquet that offers up weedy tobacco, juxtaposed with sweet black berry, raspberry, and cherry fruit. The new oak that was so obvious in the wine's youth has moved to the background, offering more of a cedary character than raw wood. Medium to full-bodied, and moderately tannic, this is a delineated Cheval Blanc with more of a Medoc personality than typical St.-Emilion opulence. The wine is rich, intense, and well-made, but still requiring a few more years of bottle age.