The visit of Château Cheval Blanc, Appellation Saint-Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé A, began with a visit of the vineyards, followed by a visit of the winemaking facilities and a tasting; they were receiving and pressing the 2017 vintage fruit while we were there.
The visit ended on the roof of the newly constructed winemaking facilties, where we enjoyed a fabolous view of the neighbors of Château Cheval Blanc. The ultra modern architecture has now become a landmark in the sea of vineyards surrounding the château.
Château Cheval Blanc can trace back its roots to the 18th century. In the mid 19th century it was purchased by the Fourcaud-Laussac family who owned it until 1998. The tremendous success of the Cheval Blanc wines is due to the never ceasing efforts of the Fourcaud-Laussac family to pursue quality. The greatest achievement came in 1880 when Château Cheval Blanc was regarded as equal to the first growth in the Médoc. Subsequently prices for theier wines rose to the level of the wines of Latour, Margaux, Lafite, Haut-Brion.
When the Saint-Emilion classification was established in 1954, Cheval Blanc was awarded the Premier Grand Cr Classé A status, which it defended every time the classification was revisited. Today, the other 3 producers at that level are Château Angélus, Château Ausone, and Château Pavie.
In 1998, Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère bought the estate. They injected a dynamic new spirit which is epitomizes by the construction of a new cellar. The ultra modern architecture has now become a landmark in the sea of vineyards surrounding the château.
The vineyard is considered to have three qualities: one third Pomerol as it is located on the boundary, one third Graves as the soil is gravelly, and the remaining third typical Saint-Émilion. The vineyard area is spread over 41 hectares, with 37 hectares planted with an unusual composition of grape varieties of 57% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, and small parcels of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. The average annual production is 6000 cases of the Grand vin and 2500 cases of the second wine, Le Petit Cheval.
Estate manager today is Pierre Lurton, a sibling of Henri Lurton, and Bérénice Lurton, whose wine estates we visited later during our tour.
Pictures: Tasting the 2011 Château Cheval Blanc Grand Vin
2011 Château Cheval Blanc Grand Vin - Sherry-Lehmann (NYC): US$850 plus tax
Wine Advocate-Parker (95): The 2011 Cheval Blanc is one of the more plump, opulent and sexy Cheval Blancs made over recent vintages, and its forwardness, lusciousness and complexity seemingly suggest this wine is on a fast evolutionary track. The wine exhibits a dense ruby/purple/plum color, a medium to full-bodied opulence, a sumptuous mid-palate (atypical for the vintage), and a lush, heady finish. It is a super, complex, evolved Cheval Blanc that can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years. Bravo!
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