2018 Cheval Des Andes Magnum 1.5L, Mendoza

This is a plush, rich Cheval with blueberry and floral aromas and flavors. HInts of tar and fresh lavender. Full body. The depth and richness are impressive, as are the ripe yet fresh tannins. Very long and structured, yet controlled and in balance. This will be a great wine indeed. Release in September 2021. Drink after 2023.

98 points jamessuckling.com Dec 2020

The 2018 Cheval des Andes is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon fermented in small lots in 3,000- to 8,000-liter tanks and matured 40% in 225-liter oak barrels, 40% in 400-liter oak barrels and the remaining 20% in 2,500-liter oak vats for 13 months. Ninety percent of the oak used was French and the rest a blend of Austrian, Slovenian and German oak, 50% of it new. 2018 has been one of the best vintages in recent times in Mendoza, and the wine shows it. It's a cooler vintage, and the wine has improved in freshness and elegance without losing any clout. It's 14.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.73. This is young, juicy, elegant and balanced and still has some herbal and toasted notes; it's medium to full-bodied, with the creamy and luxurious texture of the modern Bordeaux, ultra fine tannins and a long, dry and precise finish. It's still undeveloped and seems to have all the components and the balance between them for a long and positive development in bottle. With wines like this, I sometimes wish I had a time machine so I could see them in 20 years from now... I think this is the finest Cheval des Andes I've ever tasted. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020.

98 points Luis Gutiérrez robertparker.com

2018 Cheval des Andes is one of those wines that really earns its reputation, not just as a flagship of Mendoza, but as a genuine bridge between Bordeaux tradition and high altitude Argentine terroir. The blend for this vintage is 70 percent Malbec and 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, a deliberate balance that brings together Malbec’s plush fruit and floral generosity with Cabernet’s structure, line and longevity. The result is a wine that feels luxurious yet controlled, powerful yet precise.

The vineyards sit in Las Compuertas and other exceptional parcels in Luján de Cuyo, at elevations around 1,000 metres. These old vineyards benefit from intense sunlight during the day and dramatic temperature drops at night, which slow ripening and preserve acidity. The soils are alluvial, with layers of clay, sand and stones that allow deep root systems and naturally regulate vine vigour. Meltwater from the Andes provides precise irrigation, giving the winemaking team exceptional control over vine balance in warm years like 2018.

Cheval des Andes is a long standing partnership between Château Cheval Blanc and Terrazas de los Andes, and that pedigree shows clearly in the wine’s architecture. The Malbec component brings ripe blackberry, plum, violet and dark chocolate notes, while the Cabernet Sauvignon adds cassis, graphite, dried herbs and a firm structural backbone. Fermentation and extraction are carefully managed to avoid excess, and ageing in high quality French oak is used to polish and integrate rather than dominate.

In the glass, the wine is deep, intense and beautifully layered. Aromas unfold slowly. Blackcurrant, blackberry and ripe plum lead, followed by violets, blueberry and subtle floral lift from the Malbec. With air, more complex notes emerge, cedar, cigar box, dark cocoa, graphite and gentle spice, all sitting in harmony rather than competing for attention.

On the palate, 2018 Cheval des Andes is rich and expansive, yet remarkably composed. The attack is plush and generous, driven by dark fruit and a velvety texture, but the Cabernet Sauvignon quickly asserts itself, bringing firmness, freshness and shape. Tannins are fine grained and silky, giving the wine length and authority without hardness. Acidity is beautifully judged, keeping the wine vibrant and preventing any sense of heaviness. The finish is long, savoury and precise, lingering with cassis, mineral notes and subtle oak spice.

This is a wine that shines with serious food. Grilled or roasted beef, lamb, game or richly flavoured dishes are natural partners. While already impressive with decanting, 2018 Cheval des Andes is built for the long haul and will reward cellaring over twenty to twenty five years, gradually revealing greater savoury complexity, tertiary notes and refined elegance.

2018 Cheval des Andes is not just a top Mendoza wine, it is a true modern classic. With its 70 percent Malbec and 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon blend, it captures the best of Argentina’s altitude and intensity, framed by Bordeaux discipline and precision, resulting in a wine of depth, balance and real gravitas.