2012 was dry and rather warm with a superb Indian summer. 2012 Château Cheval Blanc is a truly beautiful wine already showing astonishing complexity and great aromatic precision.

The month of April was cool and very wet. May and June were more mild, but it continued to rain until the 15th of July. Thereafter, a long period of beautiful, very dry weather set in. Just 30 mm of rain fell between the 15th of July and the 20th of September – as compared to an average of 120 mm. There were a few showers in late September, but the month was, on the whole, quite dry (48 mm, as against 81 mm in a normal year). The weather was mild in early October, with some rain, but cumulative precipitation was still low for the first half of the month. The overall growing season in 2012 was very similar to 2000: the first half was rainy and the latter half very dry. Furthermore, temperature patterns for both vintages are astonishingly similar. The average temperature during the vegetative cycle in 2012 was 18.5°C, i.e. 0.6°C above average.

This vintage is already complex, and features an impressive range of aromas and flavors from the very first. The color is a deep crimson with mauve highlights. The nose exhibits great aromatic purity and astonishing complexity: red fruit (raspberry, cherry), black fruit (blackcurrant jam, blueberry), and delicate floral nuances (rose and violet). Freshness (mint and eucalyptus) and minerality (graphite, chalk) round out the vivacious aromatic profile. The bouquet is quite unique: tremendously pure, and the oak is not even noticeable – the sign of a great vintage.