Château Cheval Blanc
The 2018 vintage will stick in people’s memories because of the extensive presence of mildew in the vineyards. Fortunately, the weather took an about-turn in August, September and October resulting in a harvest of exceptional quality.
The 2018 vintage will stick in people’s memories because of the extensive presence of mildew in the vineyards. Fortunately, the weather took an about-turn in August, September and October resulting in a harvest of exceptional quality.
Weather conditions and vine’s growing cycle
Temperatures and rainfall
After a very wet January, the weather in February was normal for the season. There was twice the usual rain in March whilst April was in line with the norm. May and June were very wet although not unusually so. Finally, dry weather set in from mid-June. The temperatures in the first half of the year were normal although February was exceptionally cold and April was a couple of degrees warmer than average. Moderate temperatures were recorded in July and August. These months were fairly dry apart from some rainfall in the first week of July. September was quite dry with only 26 mm of rainfall. As a result, the grapes reached perfect maturity and the harvest was completed in October in glorious weather.
Water balance
The chronology of the rainfall enhanced the quality of the grapes. The heavy rains during the first half of the year built up important water reserves which meant that the vegetation could cope well with the dry conditions in July and August. The lack of rain in September did place hydric stress on young vines on gravel soils, however. The clay and sandy clay soils coped well. Thanks to a wet month in March, followed by normal conditions in April and wet months in May and June, 2018 was classified as a wet vintage as at 30 June. After a very wet start to the vegetative cycle, 2018 ended up being a very dry vintage, in fact, thanks to the dry conditions in July, August and September. By 30 September, this vintage was one of the driest recorded since 1952 along with 1990, 2000 and 2016. For the duration of the cycle, the water regime was very similar to that of the 2000 vintage. The dry conditions in September helped the ripening process and the grapes reached maturity in mid-October in very dry conditions. The three ‘terroirs’ at Cheval Blanc coped well with the water regime, even on gravels soils which fared much better than in 2016. The water regime in the summer and towards the end of the season was particularly helpful for the clay soils.
Growing season
The budburst was within the norms; 11 April for the Merlot and 14 April for the Cabernet Franc. Mid-flowering took place on 28 May for the Merlot, 1 June for the Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 June for the Cabernet Franc. The wet conditions didn’t affect the flowering which was dense and homogenous. ‘Veraison’ took place between 30 July and 8 August depending upon the varietal. The extremely dry conditions during the summer halted growth prematurely. The harvest was drawn out, lasting from 10 September to 11 October. The grapes reached optimum ripeness thanks to the dry summer weather and the good weather conditions at the end of the season. This meant that each plot could be picked just as it reached perfect maturity. Overall, the harvest was extremely healthy.
| Phenological stage | Merlot | Average 1996-2018 | Cabernet franc | Average 1996-2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud break | April, 11th | March, 30th | April, 13th | April, 4th |
| Flowering | May, 28th | May, 28th | June, 2nd | June, 1st |
| Véraison | July, 30th | August, 2nd | August, 8th | August, 7th |
| Beginning of the harvest | September, 10th | September, 18th | September, 24th | September, 27th |
| Number of days between | ||||
| Bud break and flowering | 59 days | 62 days | 58 days | 60 days |
| Flowering and véraison | 63 days | 64 days | 67 days | 67 days |
| Véraison and harvest | 45 days | 47 days | 45 days | 50 days |
Features of the vintage
Ripening and yields
Without a doubt, 2018 is one of the great vintages of the domain. The heavy rainfall during the vines’ growth period and the dry weather during the ripening process and harvest constituted nearly perfect conditions for producing rich complexity in the grapes. This was because the bunches were small and perfectly ripe. Smaller bunches result in concentrated berries with very complex aromatics. On a technical level, the sugar content was quite high but nicely balanced by the level of acidity.
Blending
Tasting
Deep, intense red colour. The nose is redolent of tremendously fruity and floral notes, with touches of raspberry and violet.
Swirling in the glass reveals a more intense bouquet with black cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant aromas.
The ever-present floral notes go on to develop rose and lilac overtones. Spicy and balsamic nuances round off the already complex bouquet with cocoa beans and black pepper aromas. The nose is impressively fresh, complex, and well-defined.
The wine starts out sumptuously rich and full-bodied on the palate. The powerful, rich tannins contribute to the deep, long, firm, well-balanced, and refined structure. Very elegant, it coats the palate and continues into a long, crunchy, fresh aftertaste.
The finish marks a return to floral and fruity aromas with spicy overtones. The precision and balance of this wine are on par with the estate’s greatest vintages.Deep, intense red colour. The nose is redolent of tremendously fruity and floral notes, with touches of raspberry and violet.
Swirling in the glass reveals a more intense bouquet with black cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant aromas.
The ever-present floral notes go on to develop rose and lilac overtones. Spicy and balsamic nuances round off the already complex bouquet with cocoa beans and black pepper aromas. The nose is impressively fresh, complex, and well-defined.
The wine starts out sumptuously rich and full-bodied on the palate. The powerful, rich tannins contribute to the deep, long, firm, well-balanced, and refined structure. Very elegant, it coats the palate and continues into a long, crunchy, fresh aftertaste.
The finish marks a return to floral and fruity aromas with spicy overtones. The precision and balance of this wine are on par with the estate’s greatest vintages.