Cheval des Andes 2013 Mendoza i trækasse

“98 points. Full body, ultra-fine tannins, and a focus and beauty that makes you think.“ – James Suckling
“96 points. I've never tasted such an elegant Cheval des Andes, all about finesse and balance.” – Robert Parker

Argentinas svar på Cheval Blanc! Ikoniske Cheval des Andes er, nøjagtig som Château Cheval Blanc i Saint-Émilion, ejet af Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy – der benytter samme winemaker til begge kultvine!

Her får du en helt særlig 2013-årgang af Cheval des Andes, der scorer hele 98 points hos James Suckling og som kaldes for den mest elegante udgave nogensinde, ifølge Robert Parker.

Druerne høstes i svimlende 1100 meters højde, hvor den kølige bjergluft er med til at sikre balancen og den langsomme udvikling af druernes aromaer. Det unikke terroir består hovedsageligt at Malbec-vinstokke, der blev plantet helt tilbage i 1929. Den elegante frugt bliver forædlet på en blanding af nye og gamle egetræsfade, så terroiret virkelig får lov til at skinne igennem samtidig med at vinen tilføres delikate fadkrydderier.

Meget begrænset antal. Ved køb af 6 flasker leveres vinen i original trækasse

Anmeldelser af Cheval des Andes 2013

98/100 James Suckling
“The purity of fruit is so impressive here with flowers, dark fruit, and strawberries. Full body, ultra-fine tannins, and a focus and beauty that makes you think. So long and elegant. 67% malbec, 25% cabernet sauvignon and 8% petit verdot.”

97/100 Tastingbook.com

96/100 Robert Parker
“At Cheval des Andes they consider 2013 as a warm vintage, because even if the winter saw average temperatures, the spring and summer were warmer than normal. The 2013 Cheval des Andes came up to 67% Malbec, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot mostly from their vineyards at Las Compuertas at some 1,1000 meters altitude and some fruit from their 15 hectares at La Consulta in the Valle de Uco, that they use when they don't find it too ripe. Even if they tend to pick early, the bottled wine is a ripe and heady blend hitting the scale at 15% alcohol fermented relatively warm (28 degrees Celsius) for some 25 days. After malolactic in tank, all different lots go into barrel and they try to make the blend as soon as possible, usually during the first winter so the wine ages together for some 15 to 18 months in French oak barriques. They have reduced the amount of new wood used (only 30%) to avoid overwhelming the fruit with aromas but providing complexity and clarifying the wine naturally. From this vintage onward they have been able to not acidify the wine, as they changed their approach to viticulture, and they are now able to burn the green notes and harvest early, with natural acidity and lower alcohol. The key to this is to get something like 30-35 hectoliters per hectare. I think this is absolutely the right approach, and this change started in 2010--with 100% estate fruit, no oenological products used, fresh maturity without greenness through lower yields. In 2013, they consider they have achieved what they want, but kept improving in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The 2014 had just been bottled and I didn't have the chance to taste it, but they told me they prefer 2014 to 2013. If that is the case, 2014 should be mind-blowing, because 2013 is simply superb. To Pierre Olivier Clouet, another key point is how to manage irrigation. The result of all this is more and more precise wines, with greater definition, purity and freshness. They are also avoiding residual sugar, so the wines are completely dry. They also started to work with 500-liter oak barrels, trying to find the integration of the oak keeping the percentage of new barrels but using larger ones. Malbec is quite sensitive to oak, and again, this approach has worked perfectly here. Finally, they are also moderating extraction, with a longer maceration but less pumping over, because with too much pumping over you have the risk of extracting too much dry tannin. It has great balance and freshness, with great elegance, and super-refined tannins. I've never tasted such an elegant Cheval des Andes, all about finesse and balance. Bravo to the new team! I'm really looking for ward to tasting the following vintages.”

96/100 Tim Atkin

94/100 Wine Spectator

94/100 Decanter
“When Château Cheval Blanc’s Pierre Lurton visited Mendoza in the late 1990s, he teamed up with Roberto de la Mota, finding a block of ungrafted Malbec planted in 1929 in Las Compuertas. Selected for its elegant, refined expression, Cheval des Andes was born once the use of the revered Cheval name had been personally sanctioned by LVMH’s owner Bernard Arnault. Malbec has taken over from Cabernet Sauvignon as the senior partner in the blend, as its properties in viticulture and winemaking have become better understood. ‘After 18 years of experience,’ says Lorenzo Pasquini, technical manager and winemaker, ‘our aim is to create the same vision and style in Mendoza as at Château Cheval Blanc: ageing potential with elegance, complexity, freshness and balance.’ Scented cedar gives way to a lip smackingly rich black fruit quality, polished oak adding to a suave texture, before morphing into a firmer structure of youthfully vigorous grip and a fresh acid spine.Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.”

94/100 Vinous
“Bright, dark ruby. Sexy oaky high tones to the classy scents of blackberry, cassis, licorice pastille, tobacco leaf and violet. Wonderfully fine-grained wine with a seamless, velvety texture and terrific restrained sweetness to its blackberry, licorice and mineral flavors. Very penetrating, savory, rather powerful wine with terrific ripe tannins, a repeating licorice pastille quality and outstanding rising length. Really terrific subtle sweetness of fruit here. Has the density of texture and energy for a slow and eventful evolution in bottle.”

Nyd den som meditationsvin i mesterklassen eller til saftige steaks, gris, lam, BBQ, gourmet-burgere, kraftige tapas eller karakterfulde oste. Server ved 16-18°C.

Vinen er fremstillet på et blend af 67 % Malbec, 25 % Cabernet Sauvignon og 8 % Petit Verdot, der høstes fra marker i Compuertas og Paraje Altamira, der ligger i den berømte region, Mendoza. I kælderen er 40 % af vinen modnet på små egetræsbarriques, 40 % op 500-liters fade og de resterende 20 % på store foudres. Vinen modner i alt i 16-18 måneder med en blanding af nye og brugte fade.