Wine Advocate says “The way they want to describe the wine is the Argentinean expression of Cheval Blanc. And I can only agree.”

Its Bordelaise sister is the 2018 Cheval Blanc, which has similar scores but costs at least 10 times more.

Not, one, not two, but THREE 98 POINT SCORES.

After our super successful run with the 2019, we got offered a library vintage, at the same BEST PRICE ANYWHERE. We know what you’re thinking… this must be a joke.

Except, it’s not.

One sniff, one sip, and you’re hooked. Self-explanatory, it brings the best of Malbec and Cabernet, in equal proportions historically for the first vintage ever, the ultimate yin and yang experience a seesaw on your fragile pallet that gallops with aromas and flavors we can’t cover better than the impressions below. What we can say is, it does leave you speechless with reckless abandon, marrying the elegance and grace of Bordeaux with the wild and wondrous nature of the Andes.

We’re pairing with Argentinean skirt steak (entraña as they call it, when chargrilled to perfection) served two ways, with traditional chimichurri plus Bordelaise sauce on the side, going back and forth all night to decide which works better.

98 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“The 2018 Cheval des Andes is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon fermented in small lots in 3,000- to 8,000-liter tanks and matured 40% in 225-liter oak barrels, 40% in 400-liter oak barrels and the remaining 20% in 2,500-liter oak vats for 13 months. Ninety percent of the oak used was French and the rest a blend of Austrian, Slovenian and German oak, 50% of it new. 2018 has been one of the best vintages in recent times in Mendoza, and the wine shows it. It’s a cooler vintage, and the wine has improved in freshness and elegance without losing any clout. It’s 14.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.73. This is young, juicy, elegant and balanced and still has some herbal and toasted notes; it’s medium to full-bodied, with the creamy and luxurious texture of the modern Bordeaux, ultra-fine tannins and a long, dry and precise finish. It’s still undeveloped and seems to have all the components and the balance between them for a long and positive development in bottle. With wines like this, I sometimes wish I had a time machine so I could see them in 20 years from now… I think this is the finest Cheval des Andes I’ve ever tasted. Drink 2022-2040.”

98 Points – Decanter

“Product of a joint work between Terrazas de los Andes and Cheval Blanc, Cheval des Andes is a Mendoza blend of 70% Malbec – half from Paraje Altamira in the Uco Valley and half from Las Compuertas in Luján de Cuyo – and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in barrels and foudres, the nose presents cherries, plums and black and redcurrant over a bed of cedar and spice. Velvety and harmonious in feel, polished tannins and an elegant finish. Drink 2022-2033.”

98 Points – James Suckling

“This is a plush, rich Cheval with blueberry and floral aromas and flavors. Hints of tar and fresh lavender. Full body. The depth and richness are impressive, as are the ripe yet fresh tannins. Very long and structured, yet controlled and in balance. This will be a great wine indeed. Release in September 2021. Drink after 2023.”