Château Cheval Blanc 1928 'rébouchage par le Château en 1995'

🏛️ An introduction to timelessness

Château Cheval Blanc 1928is far more than just a wine from a particular vintage. At almost one hundred years old, it is a monument to the history of winegrowing, a living witness to another era. While the fame of the following 1929 vintage is based on its charming richness and earlier accessibility, the 1928 is the more austere but more consistent sibling - the product of a summer that was so exceptional that even connoisseurs like Michael Broadbent describedthe vintage as "massively tannic". This youthful astringency was the foundation for an extraordinary longevity that made the wine seem "built for eternity" and allowed it to develop a complex personality over almost a century.

👃 Wine description & flavours: The patina of perfection

The experience of opening a bottle of this wine is like an archaeological expedition into the fine, tertiary aromas. In well-preserved examples, the colour is an astonishingly bright ruby red, slightly faded towards the rim. There are also descriptions of a slightly cloudy, brownish ruby, an inevitable sign of an almost century-old wine.

The true richness of the wine is revealed in its complex bouquet. The nose is intense and seductive and bears the best signs of its long ageing: it is "beautiful, well-developed and perfumed ". A unique aromatic palette that evolves over time can be outlined as follows:

• Fruit & Floral Notes: The initial youthful fruit has morphed into ripe notes of plum, blackberry and prune, with occasional hints of candied fruit and elderflower notes present in youth.

• The legendary tertiary flavours: As the wine opens, notes such as truffle, forest floor, leather, dried porcini mushroom, tobacco and sweet cocoa and chocolate notes gradually dominate .

• A hint of exoticism: a light but characteristic mint note emphasises the depth of the wine, which is accompanied by fine herbal notes and dried cherries

👅 On the palate: a smoothed power

The first sip reveals the extraordinary texture of the 1928 Cheval Blanc. The tannins, once described as "exceptional", which Michael Broadbent characterised as "massive", have been polished over the decades into a fine, round and velvety structure. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, full-bodied and dense, yet medium-bodied - a sign of its classic elegance. The aromas of ripe fruit mingle with mineral notes, while the present acidity gives the wine a surprising liveliness and accompanies the extremely long finish with spicy flavours.

📝 The critics' ratings: a confirmation of the legend

The sparse but meaningful notes from the world's greatest wine critics emphasise the exceptional status of this wine:

📦 Vandermeulen vs. Château bottling: A decisive nuance

Like the famous 1947 bottles, the 1928 Cheval Blanc was also bottled by the Belgian wine merchant Vandermeulen. These separately bottled bottles occasionally appear at auction. The rare Cheval Blanc 1928 Van der Meulen ranks at Tastingbook with a breathtaking algorithmic score of 100 Tb points, which is the highest possible rating and emphasises the fascinating range of variation of this legendary wine.

🍽️ Food recommendation: A question of elegance

A wine of such subtlety and power deserves an equally refined accompaniment. The key lies in simplicity and a focus on high-quality ingredients. The official website of Château Cheval Blanc recommends avoiding intense ingredients such as eggs, tomatoes or citrus fruits.

• Game & poultry: This is the classic and ideal combination. Dishes such as roast pigeon, young duck or guinea fowl as well as roast venison or deer fillet perfectly highlight the earthy fruit flavours of the wine. A very special experience is the combination with grouse in season.

• Matured cheese: A selection of matured but not overly flavoursome hard cheeses such as Mimolette or Comté is a classic choice.

🎁 Price & drinking window: The last opportunity

The prices for this rare drop are correspondingly high and vary greatly depending on origin and condition:

• Average price: on platforms such as Wine-Searcher, the average price (excluding tax) for a standard bottle (750 ml) is around 3,200 to 4,000 US dollars.

• Auction results: At Christie's, a single bottle achieved an auction price of USD 9,375. Other lots were traded in similar ranges between 7,500 and 9,375 US dollars. Pre-auction estimates are often in the range of 2,200 to 3,500 US dollars.

• Bottle condition: As auction catalogues show, the remaining bottles are often in a condition marked by damaged capsules and labels, underlining the authenticity and careful storage.

• Recommended drinking window: Most sources agree that the ideal drinking time for this 1928 Cheval Blanc is now. It is recommended to enjoy it until around 2025. Waiting too long would be a high risk that only very well stored bottles (e.g. recorking at Château 1995 ) can take.

💎 Conclusion: A window into the past

Château Cheval Blanc 1928is more than just a wine; it is one of the last living bridges to another time. If you are lucky enough to open an authentic bottle, you enter a room full of history and flavours that no modern wine can offer in this way today. It is the epitome of a wine of great, gentle power and timeless elegance - a living testimony to the fact that true greatness sometimes blossoms over a century of waiting.