Château Cheval-Blanc 2021

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Cheval-Blanc

Vines have been grown at the place named Cheval Blanc for centuries and the vineyard of Saint-Emilion has produced wines of outstanding quality year after year, decade after decade, since late antiquity… they are some of the most acclaimed in the world – and the mythical Château Cheval Blanc is at their forefront

Although the exact location of the first vines grown in Bordeaux is unknown, the vestiges of luxurious villas – the ancestors of today’s wine châteaux – have been found in Saint-Emilion. One such villa belonged to Ausone (Ausonius in Latin), poet-winemaker and Roman Consul in the 4th century AD. The expansion of the Saint-Emilion vineyards continued through the centuries, especially during the Middle Ages. The creation and development of the port of Libourne in the 12th century, during the English occupation, led to thriving maritim trade that spread the reputation of Saint-Emilion wines throughout Europe. They were already considered of superlative quality at the time, with unusual ageing potential, and were often given as special gifts to royalty and other important people. Poetically referred to as “the hill with a thousand châteaux”, Saint-Emilion has a colourful history. Skilled and enthusiastic winegrowers have long contributed to its stellar reputation.

The appellation surrounds the eponymous medieval town on a limestone plateau situated east of Libourne, where the Isle and Dordogne rivers meet. Château Cheval Blanc has an altogether unique terroir in Saint-Emilion. While most of the appellation’s other famous estates have limestone soil dating from the Tertiary Period, Cheval Blanc’s soil features alluvia from the Quaternary Period deposited by the Isle. And like most of the prestigious estates in Pomerol, Cheval Blanc’s soil formation has a varied texture that does not include limestone. However, Cheval Blanc is also different – and unique – in that the proportion of gravel and clay is just about equal. This gift of nature is essential in understanding the estate’s history.

Archives show that vines have been grown at Cheval Blanc at least as far back as the 15th century. Furthermore, a document dated 1546 shows that the owner at the time leased the vineyard, and a contract from 1587 specified that the sharecropper “will live there when the sun goes down to keep an eye on the vines…”. A century later, the “Au Cheval-Blanc” tenant farm was sold to Bertrand de Gombaud for the sizeable sum of 1,400 francs. Two winegrowers were living full-time at Cheval Blanc on the eve of the French Revolution. This was very unusual at the time, and reflects how highly the terroir was regarded.

Jean Laussac-Fourcaud focused on one goal for over thirty years: to make his wine one of the very best in Saint-Emilion and to enhance its reputation. Cheval Blanc obtained its first medal at the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London. In fact, a representation of this bronze medal is found on the château’s present-day label. Cheval Blanc won their first gold medal at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris, and this new distinction also appeared on the label. In 1886, Cheval Blanc won a second gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Antwerp. Reflecting this series of successes and a wine well on the way to achieving international recognition, a château was built on the estate.
Cheval Blanc was able to realise its greatest dream in the 1880s, when it began to be considered on a par with the first growths of the  Médoc – and one of the most dependably fine wines in the world – by the wine trade and connoisseurs. Thus, in the latter half of the 19th century, Cheval Blanc was in the same price bracket as Margaux, Latour, Lafite, and Haut-Brion in Paris and London auction houses. The wine’s reputation earned it a place at prestigious meals, major receptions, and state dinners.
The most prestigious part of Cheval Blanc’s history can be said to date from 1832, when Jean-Jacques Ducasse, President of the Libourne Trade Tribunal, purchased the core of the present-day estate. Over the next twenty years, the purchase of plots belonging to Château Figeac led to the creation of the 39- hectare vineyard as we know it today. The configuration has remained practically unchanged. The marriage of Jean-Jacques’ daughter, Henriette, with Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, a Libourne wine merchant, opened a new chapter in the history of Cheval Blanc that would define and consolidate the identity of this unique property.

After Henriette inherited Cheval Blanc, her husband undertook a spectacular renovation. He was among the first people to understand the importance of water stress to produce the finest wines, and put in an efficient drainage system.
However, the greatest progress made by the new owners was in the vineyard. Aware of Cheval Blanc’s outstanding potential, and helped by an extraordinary intuition, Jean Laussac-Fourcaud replanted part of the estate in the 1860s with a totally atypical proportion of grape varieties: half Merlot (the king of the Right Bank) and half Cabernet Franc. This replanting was finished in 1871.
Formerly known as vin de Figeac, the wine was first sold under the name Cheval Blanc in 1852. This was the beginning of a prestigious career.

In 1878 Cheval Blanc won their first gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris

After Jean Laussac-Fourcaud passed away in 1888, his widow inherited the estate. She, in turn, left it to her son, Albert, who had reversed his hyphenated family name by this time. Albert Fourcaud-Laussac perpetuated the work undertaken by his father and installed twelve wooden vats that were used until 1966. Major investments were made in the vineyard and selected old vines reproduced by mass selection.

Albert’s two sons, Jacques and Joseph Fourcaud-Laussac, continued in their father’s and grandfather’s footsteps.

The same cellarmaster was in charge at Cheval Blanc for 44 years – Gaston Vaissière poured his talent, energy, and enthusiasm into making the most of a terroir he considered “magical”…

Cheval Blanc obtained the highest possible distinction in the first classification of Saint-Emilion wines in 1954: Premier Grand Cru Classé “A”. This exalted rank was confirmed in every following classification in each subsequent decade. Cheval Blanc became a member of the exclusive “Club of 9” comprising the first growths of Bordeaux.

A page was turned in autumn of 1998 when Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère, two old friends and lovers of great wine, joined forces to became the owners of this fabled château in Saint-Emilion. They injected a dynamic new spirit, while respecting the château’s history and existing facilities. They also placed their complete trust in the winemaking team to continue their good work.  The priority today is the ultimate in quality, which calls for enormous attention to detail and precision winemaking

Furthermore, Cheval Blanc is resolutely turned towards the future. This is epitomised by the impressive new cellar adjacent to the château. Designed by Christian de Portzamparc, winner of the 1994 Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1994, this was completed in June 2011. Reflecting the desire of Baron Albert Frère and Bernard Arnault, this building is both futuristic and in keeping with the surrounding historic vineyard landscape listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Winegrowers have succeeded one another at Cheval Blanc for six centuries in the context of a “wine civilisation” some 2,000 years old. The wine from this estate is now a joy to men and women all over the world who are aware that a great growth such as Cheval Blanc is a treasure of voluptuousness and pleasure.

In the Vineyard

Located in the commune of Saint-Emilion , but bordering on Pomerol, the estate consist of 39 hectares divided into forty-five plots. Each one is, to a certain exent, treated like a seperate vineyard because of the differences in the age of the vines, grape variety, soil type, ect. The combination of these many facets accounts for Cheval Blanc’s great complexity.

What makes Cheval Blanc so unusual is three main soil types – fine textured with clay, more coarsely textured with gravel, and large gravel with sand – that constitute a veritable patchwork.   This singular terroir is made up primarily of clay and large-size gravel in certain plots and sandy soil with smaller gravel in other parts. Some estates in Saint-Emilion have excellent gravelly soil, while others in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol have very good clay soils.  Cheval Blanc, on the other hand, is blessed with both types of soil in fairly equal proportions.

The most is made of this natural advantage thanks to an original combination of grape varieties: 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Each plot has its own specific profile due to the age of the vines, surface area, kind of soil, type of rootstock and grape variety, etc.  Therefore, it only follows that the wine produced from each plot has its own profile too.
The ones from clay soil are powerful with velvety tannin, while the ones from gravel soil are more aromatic and elegant. A blend of both results in a wine that is both powerful and elegant with expressive aromatics as well as the complexity of the greatest wines.

Experiments have been conducted with every possible permutation of soil types and the three grape varieties. Soil temperatures were measured throughout the growing season in the context of this research, as well as the water supply and mineral absorption by the vines.

Phenological surveys were regularly carried out and ripening was closely monitored. Tiny batches of grapes are also fermented to test the results. The purpose of all these techniques was to find the most appropriate grape variety for each different terroir.

In fact, not only the characteristics of each plot come into play, but also those of the 237,288 individual wines rooted in Cheval Blanc’s soil! Each one can be easily identified in its corresponding plot by row number and position in the row. Indeed, every vine has its own identity. However, above and beyond the complexity of the soil and variety of vines, Château Cheval Blanc is very much of a whole, with a strong identity of its own.

This unity is evidenced by boundaries that have remained virtually unchanged for many years. Château Cheval Blanc is one of the rare estates with vines in a single plot that has remained practically identical for nearly a century and a half.  The estate has the same configuration as in 1871, and the current area corresponds over 90% to that in 1911. This continuity is also to be found in the proportion of grape varieties. In 1911, the share of Cabernet Franc was also close to 50%.

In the Winery

Designed by Christian de Portzamparc and inaugurated in June 2011, the cellar features two enormous waves of white concrete that rise magnificently out of the ground. There is a garden of wild grasses atop this artificial hill, whose gracious curves are overlooked by the château.

The wine cellar lets in natural light and has a pure, simple design that seems out of time. It is entirely suited to Cheval Blanc.

The 6,000 m² cellar houses a state-of-the-art winemaking facility where technology is guided by man, and not the reverse. Human hands take precedence over machines. Despite its huge size, the building conveys a gentle, intimate atmosphere. The streamlined design leaves no room for the superfluous.  Everything is kept in proportion, like the wines that are produced there…

Natural light penetrates into the vat room, with its fifty-two vats in six rows. Built in Italy, these concrete vats come in nine different sizes, from 20 to 110 hectolitres.

Each one is devoted to grapes from a different plot and displays two plaques: one permanent one with the number and the capacity of the vat, as well as another removable one showing the plot number, the grape variety, when the vines were planted, and when the grapes were put into vat. This “tailor-made” winemaking means that vats correspond exactly to individual vineyard plots, and is conducive to fine-tuning the final blend of wines from Cheval Blanc’s homogeneous terroir. The cellar is fully in keeping with the château’s extreme attention to detail throughout the winemaking process.

In fact, the Cheval Blanc cellar was the first in its category to be certified for the High Quality Environmental (HQE) standard. Known for its stringent criteria, this certification recognises the care taken in choosing building materials, energy saving, waste water management, and the sorting of solid waste, as well as acoustic comfort and employee well-being. On the 20th of November 2013, the Cheval Blanc cellar received the famous International Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, a museum of architecture and design.

The cellar also received an award from the Centre européen pour le Design d’Art architectural et d’Etudes urbaines. The latter recognises distinctive, avant-garde, innovative buildings. Cheval Blanc was the first wine cellar ever to receive this honour.

Where in the World is Cheval-Blanc?

Cheval-Blanc is in the Right Bank of Bordeaux in Saint-Emillion.