100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
An absolute legend of a wine, the 2005 Château Cheval Blanc is up there with the greatest wines ever made. Based on 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc raised all in new oak, this stunning effort clocks in as 13.9% alcohol and a pH of 3.6. Deep ruby hued with no bricking and barely any lighting at the rim, it has that classic Cheval Blanc complexity with incredible cassis and darker currant like fruits as well as smoky, truffly earth, spice, and cedar pencil nuances. Full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, and yet flawlessly balanced and weightless, it still has substantial tannins yet they’re perfectly ripe and flawlessly integrated. It’s as good a wine as I’ve ever tasted. Drink bottles any time over the coming 20-30 years
100 Points - Wine Advocate
The 2005 from Cheval Blanc is a quintessentially elegant, beautiful, deep bluish/ruby-colored wine from St.-Emilion, with raspberry, blueberry, and floral notes, impressive density, great precision, freshness and purity. Full-bodied, but extremely light on its feet, I don’t mean to gush, but it is super-intense, rich and just so meticulously crafted! This is another fabulous wine and a perfect expression for this vintage. It is difficult to forget the gorgeous blueberry and raspberry fruit, full body, sweet tannin, a multi-layered texture, and purity and palate presence of this stunning wine. (RP
100 Points - The Wine Independent
A blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc, the 2005 Cheval Blanc has a deep garnet color. The nose is still so incredibly youthful, soaring out of the glass with notes of juicy black plums, Morello cherries, mulberries, and fragrant soil, plus nuances of rose oil, spearmint, and pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut and energetic, delivering a firm backbone of exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and shimmery. (LPB