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Cheval Des Andes Red Blend Mendoza 2017 (Magnum 1.5L) - First Bottle

Reviews

100 James Suckling -
This is the greatest Cheval des Andes ever. The integration of fruit, tannins and acidity is fantastic. Full-bodied, tight and solid with beautiful depth and integrity. Extremely long and exciting. Complex and compelling.
97+ Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
In the last few years, a handful of wines from Chile and Argentina—often French owned—have been released in September through the Place de Bordeaux, the network of négociants that sell most of the Bordeaux wines and some of the leading wines from other regions. The 2017 Cheval des Andes is one such wine. 2017 saw an early harvest, but they started picking on the 6th of March and continued until the 10th of April, more or less normal dates, early but not so much. The varietal break down this vintage comes to 62% Malbec and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine is slightly riper and higher in alcohol than 2016 (this 2017 is 14.2% alcohol). The different plots fermented separately with selected yeasts, and the élevage lasted for 15 months and was in 50/50 new and second use barrels, 90% of them French and the rest made with wood from Eastern Europe. They used 45% Bordeaux barrels, 45% 400-liter barrels and, for the first time, a 2,500-liter oak foudre. This is clearly the darkest of the trio of vintages I tasted together here—2015, 2016 and 2017—but all three have the elegant and powerful profile, the luxurious and creamy character found in the best Bordeaux wines in the last few years, wines of power with precision, concentration, energy and finesse. This seems to combine the clout of the 2015 and the freshness of the 2016 and feels something in between those two vintages. Their work in the vineyard toward the maturity of the tannins meant the challenge in 2017 was to not let the grapes ripen too fast and too early. The work is different for Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, to get round tannins in Cabernet and get some tension in Malbec, the contrary of the normal tendency of the varieties. 2017 has less ripeness than the 2015 but more density than the 2016. The texture is velvety, precise and harmonious. This year, they introduced a larger foudre for 10% of the wine, with the aim to reach 20%, so that volume is increasing every year. I think this is showing more precision, and in a more challenging year, they managed to keep the quality on par with 2016. They have changed the label this year, to a cleaner and more elegant label that also reflects the direction the wine is going in. 81,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2019.
98 Tim Atkin
96 Jeb Dunnuck -
A clear step up, the 2017 Cheval Des Andes brings more richness and texture, while still playing in this complex, elegant, beautifully balanced style. A slightly more Malbec-dominated blend of 62% Malbec and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon (there's no Petit Verdot) aged 15 months in 50% new oak, it offers beautiful currant and cassis fruits as well as tobacco, graphite, stony minerality, and spice aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied and wonderfully textured, with remarkable purity and silky tannins, it's another Bordeaux lover’s Mendoza that brings beautiful fruit, purity, and precision. Of the trio of vintages I was able to taste, this is the most complete, balanced, and structured. It's a brilliant wine!
96 Descorchados -
This year, the Chevals des Andes blend is 62% malbec (about half from Altamira in Uco and the other half from Las Compuertas in Luján) plus 38% cabernet sauvignon from Las Compuertas. The 2017 season was rather warm in Mendoza or, putting it into context, much warmer than the cold 2016, a year that we at Descorchados applauded as a great change in Chaval's style, a blend that has been made since 1999. But despite the warm year, the path to greater freshness continues, and what dominates is the fresh and juicy red fruit in a wine with tremendously elegant tannins. It's all beautifully balanced and leaves a crisp sensation of juiciness, although with good fruit density in a generous body.
95 Vinous -
The seventeenth vintage of Cheval des Andes, a wine that has undergone a model transformation. I recently tried the 2007, and it’s fascinating to trace the different stages of its evolution, all of which say something about the contemporary history of Argentine wine. To sum up, it started out with a French love of concentration and ripeness and ended up with an equally French love of equilibrium and local terroir. The 2017 is a new beginning in itself. A blend of Malbec with 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, it presents a bold nose of fresh fruit such as sweet and sour cherry with fleshy aromas and a touch of white pepper over a bold, woody backdrop. A fluid wine, slightly taut on the palate with medium structure, a delicate feel and active tannins well integrated into the terse texture, overall it is nuanced and full of flavor. Possesses a balance that respects the concentration of the vintage without ever letting it get out of hand. An Argentine wine made with more than a nod to French expertise.
95 Decanter -
This is an excellent wine - juicy, with tension and depth, and a confident sense of style and character. Vibrant violet edging, redcurrant and raspberry fruits with tight tannins and a chewy finish. One of the top wines from South America and a great shot of confidence for 'the place' to have it arrive last year where it is now sold 100% after being withdrawn from the LVMH distribution network. Second-to-last vintage with Lorenzo Pasquini before he headed over to Giscours (and Caiarossa), with the 2019 onwards under the care of Gérald Gabillet, formerly with Château Angélus and so maintaining the Bordeaux link.
93 Wine Spectator -
Elegant and well-structured, with intense coffee bean notes to the dried red currant and dark plum flavors. Minerally in the midpalate, with a long finish that features medium-grained tannins and is rich with savory spice and dried green herbal notes. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Technical Details

  • Blend62% Malbec, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • WinemakerGerold Gobillet
  • CountryArgentina
  • RegionMendoza
  • AppellationMendoza
  • VineyardValle de Uco and Lujan de Cuyo
  • Aging/Cooperage16-18 months barrels of French and Austrian oak with 10% large foudre
  • Alcohol14%
Shop All Wines Cheval Des Andes Red Blend Mendoza 2017 (Magnum 1.5L)

Cheval Des Andes Red Blend Mendoza 2017 (Magnum 1.5L)

Proprietary Blends  |  Argentina
JS100, TA98, WA97+, JD96, DES96, VN95, DC95, WS93

New $300.00 $214.95 | 1.5L
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28% off retail!
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You simply don’t find 100 POINT wines at this price point...almost ever! This joint partnership is one of the greatest in the wine world today – and the results have been staggering. James Suckling says, “This is the greatest Cheval des Andes ever,” and we’d say we agree! 3 liters, magnums, and of course, the regular 750 bottles are all available...but none will last long!

If you weren’t aware already, Cheval Des Andes is the marriage of two top houses – Château Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux and Terrazas de los Andes in Argentina. These pioneers of cool-climate, high-elevation winemaking in the Andes make world-class wines distinguished by their freshness, ageability, and pervasive elegance...this is truly some Grand Cru stuff for Argentina. Mostly malbec, then cabernet sauvignon – with a final blend of 62/38 for this 2017 vintage.

The wine is fashioned from two estate vineyards – Las Compuertas in Luján de Cuyo, and La Consulta, in the Uco Valley, further South. Combined, these 50 hectares (123 acres) of vineyards spread across various altitudes, topographies, and soil compositions – granting a tapestry of flavors and the opportunity for skillful blending.

For nearly two decades, the wine of Cheval Des Andes has sought to prove that Argentina’s wines can compete with the very best in the world. They’ve undoubtedly demonstrated that and more, and the wines of Argentina, and the world, are better for it. This is a full-bodied wine that offers so much in the ways of class and elegance that it is almost a-typical for malbec dominant wine. It’s pretty, layered, powerful, and focused, and simply goes on forever! A meaty and mineral savoriness grounds the wine perfectly, but the high-toned red berry fruits and elegant florals uplift the palate – stretching the flavor profile to extremes, with the end result being something purely unique, delightful, and almost quixotic – but in the best possible way. This is a wine of dreams, crafted by visionaries, and shared with those who want a piece of the fairytale for themselves.

PAIRING IDEAS: BBQ...but not American, think more Argentinian style – slow-cooked meat of your choice (as long as it’s beef) over a live wood fire, salt, pepper, and a simple chimichurri on the side. For inspiration...Google Francis Mallmann. Perfection!

About the Producer

In 1999, Pierre Lurton traveled to Argentina in the search for amazing Malbec. Pierre stumbled upon amazing soils and passionate wine growers at Cheval des Andes. A partnership bloomed from the combination of two winemaking cultures with the goal of crafting amazing wine; that of Cheval Blanc and Cheval des Andes. Cheval des Andes inherits its precision viticulture from Terrazas de los Andes, where, after years of identifying terraced slots with the best altitude for the best varietal expression of its different grapes.

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