Chateau Cheval Blanc			1978	St. Emilion

12/95. Bought in auction Sep-95 for $80 (imported for $90 net).
Tonight for Friday night dinner with friends. Dinner consisted of pickled quail eggs & eggplant, mushroom pie, roasted beef in its gravy with plain rice, cheese assortment, zabaglione.
In-the-neck bottle with no signs of leakage, but the cork disintegrated and fell in upon opening. Had to be decanted through a muslin cloth.
COLOR: Deep garnet red, beautiful spectral hues, then sudden loss of color just by the rim.
NOSE: Very developed 'old Bordeaux' nose. Black cassis-like fruit. Contrasting bouquet of both floral and musky spicy tones. Very dominant, yet not really enticing.
TASTE: 'Interesting' taste that requires some getting used to. Very concentrated and complex on the palate. Some tiredness is felt due to lack of acidity, but tannins still abound, especially at the finish. Blackcurrents and sweet plums are definitely felt.
LENGTH: Extremely long and sweetish aftertaste that continue to develop in the mouth after the tannic finish subside.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium bodied. Lacy if a bit tired texture. Fruit is there, though not enough acidity to give a feeling of vigor. Enough tannins for the present state to have a long life ahead.
OVERALL: A superb wine no doubt, very complex and intriguing. Yet my inexperienced Bordeaux palate was expecting more from this world-class wine.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.