1947 Château Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint-Emilion (Belgian bottling Van Der Meulen) Parker 100/100 - Total 1 Bottle 0,75 ltr - Tasting 100 points Robert Parker: "Having a 1947 Cheval Blanc (Belgian Bottling) made me once again realize what a great job I have. The only recent Bordeaux vintage that comes even remotely close to the richness, texture, and viscosity of so many of these right bank 1947s is 1982. What can I say about this mammoth wine that is more like port than dry red table wine? The 1947 Cheval Blanc exhibits such a thick texture it could double as motor oil. The huge nose of fruitcake, chocolate, leather, coffee, and Asian spices is mind-boggling. The unctuous texture and richness of sweet fruit are amazing. Consider the fact that this wine is, technically, appallingly deficient in acidity and excessively high in alcohol. Moreover, its volatile acidity levels would be considered intolerable by modern day oenologists. Yet how can they explain that after 47 years the wine is still remarkably fresh, phenomenally concentrated, and profoundly complex? It's so powerful and rich that it's hard to believe it's more than half-a-century old, and it will still hold for years." Drink to 2022 - Tasting 98 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Amazingly vivid ruby-red color with only a hint of garnet at the rim. Explosive nose combines intensely minty notes with liqueur-like plum, blackberries macerated in alcohol, pine needles, sweet coffee and Oriental spices. This is a slightly more herbal bottle than the four others I have had before, all of which were alcoholic (but balanced) fruit bombs on the nose. Broad, lush and sweet in the mouth, with an exotic high-toned quality to the almost porty, very viscous flavors of dark berries, coffee, dark chocolate and vanilla. This verges on jammy but stays fresh thanks to sound acidity. The extremely long finish features a pronounced note of coffee grounds, very chewy but noble tannins and some residual sugar; in fact, this is downright port-like in its rich, round, alcoholic persistence. Undoubtedly a great wine, but I think it's more emblematic of the hot 1947 vintage than of Cheval Blanc. I found this particular bottle a little less thrilling than the two I had most recently tasted, but readers may want to take note that this wine is considered by some critics as one of the three or four greatest red wines ever made anywhere. Info about bottler: Over the years, Van der Meulen's wines from Ostend have a great reputation for buyers of old wines at the auction and also pay high prices for wines from this bottler. What was the secret of Van der Meulen's bottles at that time? First of all, Mr Van der Meulen has had to be a connoisseur who could taste good and, when selecting at the Chateaux, was able to pick out the best barrels. Undoubtedly, he will also be one of the first to report his selection at the chateau each year. In addition, he was one of the best bottlers. Vintage description 1947 Bordeaux: An outstanding year with exceptionally rich wines. An extremely hot July, August and September gave rise to concentrated and intense wines similar to port. A very abundant harvest. The Pomerols and Saint Emilions were by far the best wines of this vintage. Similar to the legendary Pétrus or Cheval Blanc, the wines are soft and rich. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Informations sur l'embouteilleur: Au fil des années, les vins de Van der Meulen de Ostend ont une excellente réputation pour les acheteurs de vins anciens à la vente aux enchères et payent également des prix élevés pour les vins de cet embouteilleur. Quel était le secret des bouteilles de Van der Meulen à cette époque? Tout d'abord, M. Van der Meulen a dû être un connaisseur qui pourrait goûter bien et, lors de la sélection des chateaux, a pu choisir les meilleurs barils. Sans doute, il sera également l'un des premiers à signaler sa sélection au chateau chaque année. De plus, il était l'un des meilleurs embouteilleurs. Description du millésime 1947 Bordeaux: Une très grande année avec des vins d'une richesse exceptionnelle. Les excès de chaleur des mois de juillet, août et septembre ont permis de produire des vins concentrés et intenses semblables à des Portos. La récolte fut très abondante. Les Pomerol et les Saint-Emilion sont les grands gagnants de ce millésime. A l'image des légendaires Pétrus ou Cheval Blanc, les vins sont riches et doux.