Chateau Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc is an estate situated in the appellation St.-Emilion, on the right bank of the Bordeaux area. It is one of the top wines produced in St. Emilion and one of only four classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé “A”, together with Ausone, Pavie en Angelus.
Although archives show that vines were grown at the land of Cheval Blanc in the 15th century (and probably since Roman times.), the real history of Château Cheval Blanc started in 1832. Mr. Jean-Jacques Ducasse bought the “heart”of the present-day estate. Twenty years later, Château Figeac sold 15 Ha to Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, who was married with Mr. Ducasse’s daughter and this led to the 39 Ha vineyard as we know it today. The first vintage under the name of Cheval Blanc was 1852.
Jean Laussac-Fourcaud focused on two goals over the next 30 years: Making his wine one of the best of St.-Emilion and enhance its reputation. Mr. Laussac-Fourcaud died in 1888, but the wines from Château Cheval Blanc achieved international recognition and were on par with the First Growths of the Médoc. The château remained in the family until 1998. Then Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère became the owners of the domaine. They built a new, futuristic cellar adjacent to the château, which was completed in 2011.
The wines from Cheval Blanc probably have the broadest window of drinkability. Already delicious in its youth, it has the ability to age for another 30+ years. Cabernet Franc (57%) and Merlot (40%) are the main grape varietals and the average age of the vines is 50 years. The wines are aged for 18 months in new oak barrels. Besides the “Grand Vin” with an annual production of 6500 cases, they also produce a second (“Le Petit Cheval”), a third and even a white wine!
Chateau Cheval Blanc has produced some legendary vintages, most notably 1921, 1928, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1953, 1961, 1964, 1982, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2015.
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