| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Cheval Blanc is one of the great names of Bordeaux and the most famous château in Saint Emilion. The 39 hectares of vines border Pomerol but the wine is different from Pomerol thanks to the high percentage of Cabernet Franc in the vineyard. Vinification takes place in a stunning modern winery. There is no doubt that this is a great vineyard with an excellent wine-making team led by the talented Pierre-Olivier Clouet and overseen by Pierre Lurton. It is now planted with 49% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Of all the parcels of vines at Cheval Blanc, 47 will be used for the grand vin this year, one didn't make the cut and will be sold off in bulk and the rest are fallow or have recent plantings. There will be no Petit Cheval. The yield was a miniscule 15 hl/ha thanks to a a green harvest and "the driest vintage ever - a summer without rain" according to Pierre-Olivier. (Neighbour Lafleur had to irrigate). He added that the berries were the smallest ever and that it took two kilos of grapes to produce one bottle of wine - when it is normally 1.5 kilos. This makes it the smallest vintage to be produced since 1961 (apart from the 1991 that was not made at Cheval Blanc). The blend is 51% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon - aged almost entirely in new oak. Picked from the 18th September to the 3rd of October. The ABV is a surprisingly modest 12.7% and Pierre-Olivier believes it to be like the 2010 but with less alcohol.
A blend of 51% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2025 Château Cheval Blanc stands out once again as among the finest wines of the vintage in Bordeaux. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of blood orange and iris, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with terrific mid-palate density, sweet tannins and a long, vibrant, violet-inflected finish. With its striking aromas, intensity of flavor and resolutely classical proportions (checking in at 12.7% alcohol and pH of 3.76), the 2025 gives every indication of being one of the great Cheval Blancs of the decade.
The 2025 Cheval Blanc includes all 47 plots on the estate except one that was sold off. This nose is more immediate than some of its neighbours, a mixture of blackcurrant, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry, very expressive, underneath which lie tobacco and graphite scents. It is open, nothing hidden here. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red berry fruit, just a touch of black pepper, a more reserved and structured Cheval Blanc than usual, vertical in style, the Cabernet Franc driving the finish. Not what I would call a sensual Cheval Blanc, but it has a distinctive character. Not everyone is going to fall head over heels for this Cheval Blanc because it is uncompromising, and I like that. Just be patient. This will need time. Drinking Window
2033 - 2055
Vivid magenta colour with an expansive nose of graphite, blood orange, fresh cherry and vanilla bean. The palate has a wonderful texture, like melting dark chocolate with pliant tannins that fall into an intense but never heavy fruit core. A wine of fragrance and elegance but the sheen of clever winemaking, this is a fantastic Cheval Blanc.
Perfumed, with aromas of flowers, brambleberries and wild berries. Medium-bodied with tight, fine tannins that run forever on the palate. Hints of cedar, mushrooms and bark. Crunchy at the end. Just a hint of fancy bitterness and chocolate. Transparent and complete.
Of all the wines I tasted in the 2025 En Primeur season, this is the one that I have thought about the most. The lowest ever yield at 15hl/ha yield, close to 1961 in terms of volume. There were tiny berries, barely scraping 1g even for the Merlots, even after dropping 10-50% of the grapes even on young vines to minimise water stress. Visually beautiful, deep plum colour, intense, slate, graphite, this has a construction that is clear, muscle, sinew, carved tannins, going long on campfire, chamomile, bitter chocolate, incense, anis, cassis, mint leaf, eucalyptus, crushed rocks, savoury broth. This forces you to project forward - if we are lucky enough to be pulling a bottle out of a cellar in 2060, this Cheval will still be powering along. The honest truth is that I can't tell you with 100% certainly how long it will take to get to its full drinking window. I have not seen a young Cheval with this kind of construction, and I am erring on the side of caution in this note, hoping that it will be more readable in bottle. Stunning and impressive, but I have not yet fallen in love. No Petit Cheval. Harvest September 1 to 18. 3.76ph. Pierre Olivier Clouet director. 2032-2050.
The 2025 Cheval Blanc is seamless and textured. A wine of mystery and seduction, the 2025 dazzles. Time in the glass brings out the wine's tension and energy. Sage, mint, lavender, cloves and cool, blue-toned fruit all build in the glass. In one tasting, Cheval Blanc was massively tannic; in a second tasting, those tannins were much more seamless, highlighting how differently wines can show from day to day. In the case of Cheval Blanc, en primeur samples are mini-bottlings, and both samples I tasted came from the same batch.
Yields in 2025 were just 15 hectoliters per hectare, tiny by any measure. The winemaking team, led by Pierre-Olivier Clouet, used 46 of the 47 parcels on the estate for the Grand Vin. A small amount of wine was sold in bulk; the rest was bottled as Grand Vin. There is no Petit Cheval. Time on skins ran from 26 to 32 days, longer than the 22-28 that's more typical. For those who care about the data, alcohol is just 12.7%, which is hard to believe, with brisk acids that clock in at 3.76 pH. In many vintages Cheval Blanc can be exuberant, but the 2025 is rather closed, more of an intellectual wine that will require years in bottle to truly show everything it has to offer. 2035-2075.
