Cheval Blanc & Terrazas de Los Andes
Cheval des Andes
Mendoza
2016

The producer

Cheval des Andes is a premium red wine produced in Mendoza, Argentina. The name "Cheval des Andes" is a combination of the French word for horse ("cheval") and the Andes Mountain range, which provides a stunning backdrop for the vineyards where the grapes are grown.

The wine is a collaboration between the legendary French winery, Château Cheval Blanc, and Terrazas de los Andes, a winery located in Mendoza, Argentina. In 1999, Terrazas de Los Andes founded “Cheval des Andes” – later to be known as ‘the Grand Cru of the Andes’ – in a joint venture with top Saint-Emilion Chateau Cheval Blanc.

The first vintage was 2001 and today the estate comprises 50 hectares of land spread across two high altitude vineyards. Las Compuertas in Lujan de Cuyo is 1,070 meters above sea level on alluvial, deep silty-loam soil, with limestone, sand, and clay, just south of Mendoza. La Consulta is 1,000 meters above sea level, and closer to the ocean, with sand limestone and clay dominating the soil profile.

The wine

The first vintage of Cheval des Andes was released in 2001, and it has since become one of the most sought-after wines from Argentina. Cheval des Andes is made from a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Merlot grapes, all of which are grown in the vineyards surrounding the winery. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 to 15 months, and then bottled and aged for an additional 12 months before release.

The resulting wine is a deep, rich red color, with complex aromas of dark fruit, tobacco, and vanilla. On the palate, it is full-bodied and well-structured, with flavors of blackberry, plum, and chocolate. The tannins are firm but well-integrated, and the finish is long and smooth.

Cheval des Andes is considered one of the top wines from Argentina and has received high scores from wine critics and enthusiasts around the world. It is a wine that can be enjoyed now or cellared for several years to come.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.