Vinopolpick Mid-Week 12-9-20

Cheval des Andes is a joint project between Saint Emilion’s Château Cheval Blanc and Argentina’s Terrazas De Los Andes. Many of you are likely familiar with the former, the most famous of Saint Emilion’s 4 Premier Grand Cru Classé ‘A’ producers. If the name sounds f
amiliar, but you just can’t seem to place it, know that the 1961 vintage was the object of Miles’ obsession, and the contents of his styrofoam cup during the climactic scene of the classic 2004 film Sideways.

As for Terrazas De Los Andes, it would be on the short list for grand cru status if Argentina ever considered implementing their own classification system. A pioneer of high elevation viticulture, Terrazas De Los Andes was one of the first producers to demonstrate Argentina’s potential for cool-climate winemaking. Hailing from a country best known for high alcohol, bombastic wines, Cheval des Andes zigged while others zagged. Today their wines are considered some of the continent’s most elegance, complex and age-worthy.

Always one of the South America’s most sought after wines, the 2017 Cheval des Andes is poised to become the most collectable vintage ever. In awarding the wine a perfect 100-point score, James Suckling didn’t mince words: “This is the greatest Cheval des Andes ever.”

Pre-Arrival ETA February 2021:

Terrazas de Los Andes ‘Cheval des Andes’, Mendoza 2017 750ML ($99.95) $89 pre-arrival special
James Suckling 100 points “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. Available in September 2020. Better after 2024.”
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 97+ points “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.”
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 95 points “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.”

Can’t Wait?  In Stock Now from Cheval des Andes:

Terrazas de Los Andes ‘Cheval des Andes’, Mendoza 2016 750ML ($119.95) $89 special, 2 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 99 points “Super refined and beautiful with flowers, spices, dried fruit and hints of stones. Medium to full body with very fine tannins and a gorgeous finish. Shows great finesse and depth. Savory character, as always, but in check. Drink in 2022.”
Luis Gutierrez-Wine Advocate 97+ points “I also tasted the 2015 and 2016 next to the newly released 2017 to give it some context and to see the evolution and changes implemented in the last few years. The 2016 Cheval des Andes is probably the freshest wine produced to date and the first vintage when they used 100% own grapes. Of the trio of vintages tasted together—2015, 2016 and 2017—this is the one with less alcohol and more freshness, and it remains a more austere expression, reflecting a cooler and wetter year that resulted in a less exuberant wine, a benchmark for freshness. I’m looking forward to 2018 to see where they go in the next cool vintage after this 2016… They produced 60,000 bottles and 2,400 magnums. It was bottled in December 2017.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 95 points “Bright, dark red-ruby. Wild, musky scents and flavors of black raspberry, black pepper, olive tapenade, licorice and rocky salinity. Plush, savory and seamless; a mouthcoating Malbec-based blend with superb depth and palate presence. As concentrated as this wine is, it’s medium-bodied in the style of this cooler year but also remarkably nuanced and harmonious from the start, communicating an impression of restrained sweetness. Finishes extremely long and edge-free, with noble tannins and palate-saturating breadth. Incidentally, with this 2016, Cheval des Andes is now made entirely with estate fruit, from their properties in La Compuertas and Altamira. (aged in 70% new oak).”