Last night, to accompany a dinner of quarter pounders with cheese and fries, we opened our last bottle of the 1947 Ch. Cheval Blanc. The fill was good (mid neck) and the cork was in excellent condition given the age of the wine. And how was it? Well, it was astonishingly youthful, seemingly 25 years old rather than 67. A huge blast of very sweet blueberry essence burst out of the decanter as soon as I started to pour it. The port analogy was obvious. But once in the glass, it settled down a bit and was merely intensely fruity but without the sweetness. The harmony was incredible with the tannin, acidity, violet, rose and raspberry all swirling about the glass. Relatively light weight but excellent length, long and unwavering to the whisper of a finish. Yet the youthfulness was astonishing, although it began its gentle descent after about an hour, yet still wonderful after 3 hours. Unforgettable. My one question was the meaning of the importer's label on the back that said "Cuvée Rudy"
Mark Lipton