The collaboration between Cheval Blanc from Saint-Emilion and Terrazas from Mendoza has an extra unexpected French touch. The founder and owner of Terrazas is the prestigious Champagne house Moët & Chandon. The style of Cheval des Andes is unique with all elements inspired by Cheval Blanc. The wine of Cheval des Andes combines the lively and intense expression of Argentine Malbec with the rigor, elegance and savoir-faire of a great Bordeaux. The vision of Cheval des Andes is to bring the winemaking philosophy of Château Cheval Blanc - which focuses on wine preservation capabilities and elegance - to Argentina. Cheval des Andes makes wines that age gracefully and "travel through the decades," according to Pierre Lurton, president of Château Cheval Blanc and Cheval des Andes.
The 2020 vintage is a blend of 49% Malbec, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit verdot - a return to the 2016 vintage. The 2020 is slightly fuller and riper compared to the 2019, with a spicy touch from the Petit Damn. This is the second vintage entirely under the care of the new French winemaker, Gerald Gabillet, who fermented per plot and isolated some specific parts of the wine. the vineyard, such as the edges where irrigation usually produces higher yields. It matured in oak barrels of 225 and 400 liters and in oak barrels. They used more barrels and barrels from Stockinger and the wine is aged in oak for an average of 13 to 14 months, but some batches get 11 months and others 16 months.
There is more Cabernet here, so the aromatic expression may be something between 2017 and 2018, but Cabernet emphasizes the palate a lot and ripens the wine, as it gives the structure and length that the Malbec lacks. The wine may therefore be less accessible at a young age and must develop slowly in the bottle. It's tasty and smooth and has the ingredients and balance for what they're aiming for. In subsequent vintages they follow this path, and Gabillet believes that with more precision the wines can better reflect the differences between the vintages. The Cheval de Andes has an elegant and powerful profile with the luxurious and creamy character that can be found in the best Bordeaux wines of recent years, wines with power, precision, concentration, energy and finesse. The way they want to describe the wine is the Argentinian expression of Cheval Blanc and that is exactly right
97 Points & 17th place in the "TOP 100 WINES OF ARGENTINA 2023" - James Suckling
FACT: In the Tab: Appendix you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will send it to you automatically when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount.
