THE PRODUCER
Cheval Blanc is one of, if not the, finest chateaux in Saint-Emilion. Located in
the north-western part of the appellation right on the border with Pomerol; west
of Chateau Dominique and east of Chateau Figeac. The soils have high gravel
contents, which favours the Cabernet grape varieties – thus not surprisingly,
Cheval Blanc is the Saint-Emilion estate with the highest Cabernet Franc content
in the blend (usually around 57% and complemented with Merlot) – and arguably
the finest Cabernet Franc based blend in the world. Cheval Blanc’s history can
be traced back to 1832, but the modern era started in 1998 when the estate was
jointly acquired by Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frere in a deal worth
around 150 million euros. Pierre Lurton (who also runs Chateau d’Yquem in
Sauternes) manages the estate.

Aged entirely in new oak, it retains enticing purity of aromatics as part of its
allure, backed by richly textured fruit and velvety tannins. The essence of
seductive Saint-Emilion!  In the 2004 film, Sideways, Miles finally drank his
only bottle of 1961 Cheval Blanc – having said he been saving it for a special
occasion, for many years. His new girlfriend reminded him that “drinking it was
the special occasion”!    We can only agree!

Having had the status of as 1er Grand Cru Classe A for many years, Cheval Blanc
made the announcement in 2021 that they would no longer be participating in
subsequent classifications.

THE WINE

One of the leading estates of the entire Right Bank, Cheval Blanc is always some
of the first in the appellation to harvest which undoubtedly contributes to
preserving freshness and pristine aromatics in their wines. The blend varies
with vintage conditions but usually includes around 55% Merlot with 40% Cabernet
Franc and the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation and maceration take
place in stainless steel tanks and is followed by ageing for around 18 months in
100% new French oak barrels.

Enticing purity of aromatics is part of Cheval Blanc’s allure and backed by
richly textured blackberry fruit with floral notes, velvety tannins, a
sumptuously rich and full-bodied palate, and a long refreshing aftertaste. This
is the essence of seductive Saint-Emilion and one of the greatest wines of the
region!

INFORMATION
Type:RedVintage:2000Country:FranceRegion:Bordeaux Right BankSub region:
Saint-EmilionGrape:53% Merlot & 47% Cabernet FrancStyle:Savory & Classic
Sweetness:DryABV:13.5%Drinking window:2010 - 2040Size:750mlFood match:Beef &
Venison

CRITICS SCORES
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria(seehow we choose our wines)of
which critic scores is justone. Rather than simply highlight the best score to
promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided
by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do
not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more
weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores
like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a92/100average critic score or
better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a
high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we
offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the
market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and
representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide
to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add
individual critic scores to our website in the future.