Wine Advocate
James Suckling
Vinous
Decanter
2020 Cheval des Andes
Rating: 98
Producer: Cheval des Andes
Wine Region: Argentina, Mendoza
Variety: Proprietary blend
Color / Type / Sweetness: Red / Table / Dry
Reviewed By: Luis Gutierrez
Release Price: $100
Drink Date: 2024 - 2034
[... ] The final blend was 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, which makes a comeback, as it had not been used since 2016. [...] This is slightly riper than 2019, with a little more alcohol (14.5%) and with very good structural tannins but saving the freshness, and it has the spicy side from the Petit Verdot (Gabillet talks about white pepper). The wine has the ultra sleek and polished texture and the elegance and the balance that is the signature here; the wine is very clean and precise. I see very good regularity across the three vintages I tasted next to each other - this 2020 and the 2018 and 2019. Overall, this is a triumph over the adverse conditions of the vintage. [...]
Published: Aug 31, 2023
Cheval des Andes Mendoza 2020
Saturday, Mar 04, 2023
Color: Red
Country: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Vintage: 2020
Score: 97
Ripe, baked dark cherries with spices and some violets. Hints of graphite, cocoa powder, incense and black pepper. Dried rose petals. A slightly fuller Cheval des Andes with tense, silky tannins and a lingering, generous finish. Ripe, but still has lots of restraint and precision. 49% Malbec, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon with a 2% Petit Verdot. [...] Drink or hold.
Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor
2020 Cheval des Andes
Producer: Cheval des Andes
Place of Origin: Argentina, Las Compuertas, Mendoza
Color: Red
Grape/Blend: [...] Malbec, [...] Cabernet Sauvignon, [...] Petit Verdot
Rating: 96
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2035
From: The Uco Valley: Where Diverse Terroirs Work Their Magic (Sep 2023)
The 2020 Cheval des Andes is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot from Paraje Altamira in the Uco Valley and Las Compuertas in Lujan de Cuyo. [...], it's purple in the glass with a garnet sheen. The nose reveals a well-judged approach to the warmth of 2020, featuring ripe plum, redcurrant, mint and hints of white pepper over a bed of bay leaf and cedar. It's dry and velvety on the palate, with rich, polished tannins that deliver a juicy, balanced mouthfeel. The balsamic notes and rich palate reflect the year's character, while the finish is dynamic and long-lasting.
By: Joaquin Hidalgo on June 2023
Cheval des Andes, Mendoza, Argentina, 2020
Tasted By: Tina Gellie, Anne Krebiehl MW, Michaela Morris (at Decanter tasting suite, London, 01 Nov 2023)
Part of Wines of the Year 2023: Classics category and top scorers
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2040
Score: 92
Producer: Cheval des Andes
Vintage: 2020
Wine Type: Still
Colour: Red
Country: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Sweetness: Dry
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.50%
Body: Full
Sweet-fruited, blackberry nose, lots of spirit-spiked Christmas cake booziness. Swish tannins, juicy and full-bodied, very opulent and undeniably impressive. Nominated by Alejandro Iglesias.