Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Malbec 50%
"The 2019 Cheval des Andes has a more reductive vinification and élevage, making the wine a bit shy and in need of time to open up, as one of their objectives was to make it more age-worthy. Another objective is to get to a 50/50 blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, which they achieved in this vintage for the first time, going back to the initial character of the wine, which was the idea of Argentinean winemaker Roberto de la Mota; so, they are closing the circle and going back to the initial idea, with more suggestions from the Cheval Blanc team. This is the first vintage fully under the charge of the new French winemaker, Gerald Gabillet, who fermented by plot, isolating some specific parts of the vineyard, like the borders where you tend to get higher yields because of the irrigation. It matured in 225- and 400-liter oak barrels and in oak vats. They used more barrels and vats from Stockinger, which they like and rotate; the wine spends an average of 13 to 14 months in oak, but some lots get 11 months and others get 16. 2019 was a mild vintage, cooler than 2017 and warmer than 2018, with rain at the right time, which helped to avoid hydric stress, and without extremes (which they had in 2020 with three weeks of extreme heat). The wine is young and tender and a bit oaky, which Gabillet attributed to the reductiveness; it's ripe without excess, with around 14.2% alcohol, mellow acidity and velvety tannins. There's more Cabernet here, so the aromatic expression can be something between 2017 and 2018, but Cabernet marks the palate a lot and makes the wine more age-worthy, as it provides the structure and length that the Malbec lacks. So, the wine might be less accessible when young and should develop slowly in bottle. It's tasty and supple and has the ingredients and the balance for what they are aiming for. In the following vintages, they follow this path, and Gabillet feels that having more precision allows the wines to reflect the differences between vintages better. They produce around 100,000 bottles. It was bottled in late January 2021. The way they want to describe the wine is the Argentinean expression of Cheval Blanc. And I can only agree." - Robert Parkers Wine Advocate
"Leggermente offuscato al naso mostra note di fiori appassiti, confettura di fragole ed ambra. Corpo medio, tannini leggermente asciuganti ed un finale di media progressione. Bevi ora." - Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic
"Cheval des Andes continues its steady ascent towards the summit of the very best and most sought-after New World reds. I tasted this wine over the space of a day and was very closeto giving it 100 points. Made from an equal blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, it combines fruit from Las Compuertas and Paraje Altamira to brilliant effect. Aged in 50% new barrels and foudres, it’s effortlessly complex and detailed, with refined tannins, graphite and cut grass aromas, cassis and bramble flavours and remarkable palate length." - Tim Atkin
"A refined but spicy Cheval, showing charcoal, blueberries, wild herbs, lavender and hints of bacon and cedar. Medium to full body with extremely fine tannins that get dialed into the fruit with violet, spices and sweet blue fruit at the end. Long and subtle." - J. Suckling
Cheval des Andes ist einer der berühmtesten Weine Argentiniens. Er stammt aus Weinbergen in Mendoza und ist ein Joint Venture zwischen dem Château Cheval Blanc aus Saint-Emilion, dem legendären Premier Grand Cru Classé A, und Terrazas de los Andes aus Argentinien.
Der Bordeaux-Verschnitt wird aus Trauben von bis zu 80 Jahre alten Rebstöcken hergestellt, die im Weinberg Las Compuertas in Luján de Cuyo gepflanzt wurden. Der hoch gelegene Weinberg in den Ausläufern der Anden umfasst 50 Hektar und ist mit Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot und Merlot bepflanzt.
Die sandigen Lehmböden sorgen für eine gute Drainage und veranlassen die Wurzeln, sich auf der Suche nach Feuchtigkeit tief in den Boden zu graben, was zu gesunden Reben und konzentrierten Trauben führt. Die täglichen Temperaturschwankungen auf dem Weingut, mit warmen Tagen und kühlen Nächten, ermöglichen es den Trauben, zu reifen und gleichzeitig ihren Säuregehalt zu bewahren. Das Wasser für die Bewässerung stammt aus dem Schmelzwasser der Anden.
Die Zusammensetzung des Cheval des Andes variiert von Jahrgang zu Jahrgang, wobei in den meisten Fällen Malbec oder Cabernet Sauvignon die Hauptrolle spielen. Die Trauben werden von Hand geerntet, sortenrein vergoren und sechs Monate lang in Fässern ausgebaut.
Nach dem Verschnitt reift der Wein für ein weiteres Jahr in bis zu 60 Prozent neuer französischer Eiche. Die endgültige Assemblage reift weitere sechs Monate in neuer französischer Eiche und wird dann ungefiltert in Flaschen abgefüllt und mindestens 18 Monate vor der Freigabe gelagert.
