Antonio Galloni

"Ruby-red with a garnet rim. Enticing nose offers minty blackcurrant, rose petal, cedar, and red cherry liqueur aromas. Then rich, suave and dense in the mouth, with voluptuous red cherry, raspberry, mineral and cocoa flavors complicated by tobacco and flinty nuances. The finish is smoothly tannic and extremely long, with a strong mineral nuance and just a hint of phenolic dryness. An extremely refined Cheval Blanc, exhibiting impeccable balance and breed; very cabernet franc-dominated and hence very Cheval Blanc. The year was memorable for a bout of frost on May 29 that sharply reduced crop levels; the summer started hot, then turned cool, but temperatures warmed up again during a magnificent September. The harvest took place from September 18 to 27. Only 160 barriques were made from a freakishly low yield. I have encountered bottle variation with the 1961 Cheval Blanc, which I've tasted 11 times through the years, but this particular bottle was pretty unforgettable." -Ian D'Agata

Robert Parker

"Well-kept bottles of this wine have been fully mature for 20-25 years but show no signs of decline, one of the magical aspects of great vintages of profound Bordeaux wines. Showing considerable amber to the garnet color, this wine shows an exotic nose of licorice, sweet, jammy red and black fruits, spice box, and cedar. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied, lush, and fleshy, with plenty of glycerin and a very soft, tactile impression. The wine should be drunk up unless readers have access to pristinely stored, larger format bottles such as magnums, double magnums, etc." -Robert M. Parker, Jr.