Château Cheval Blanc

Winemakers have worked the land at Cheval Blanc for six centuries, and the current layout of the domain dates to the middle of the 14th century. Its documented modern history begins in 1832, when Jean-Jacques Ducasse, president of the Tribunal Court of Libourne, purchased the heart of the domain from Château Figeac; over the next two decades further plots acquired from Figeac formed the property, whose boundaries remain practically identical today. The wines, previously sold as Figeac wines, were sold under the Cheval Blanc name for the first time from 1852. The marriage of Ducasse's daughter Henriette to Libourne wine merchant Jean Laussac-Fourcaud opened a new chapter: Laussac-Fourcaud modernized the domain and, from mid-1860, replanted part of the property with an atypical split of half Merlot and half Cabernet Franc, a project completed in 1871. Cheval Blanc won its first medal, a bronze, at the 1862 Universal Exhibition of London; it took a gold medal at the 1878 Universal Exhibition of Paris and a second gold at the 1886 Universal Exhibition of Antwerp. Both the 1862 and 1878 medals still appear on the label today. When Laussac-Fourcaud died in 1888, his widow inherited the domain and passed it to their son, who took the name Albert Fourcaud-Laussac and installed twelve wooden vats that stayed in use until 1966. Cellar master Gaston Vaissière worked at Cheval Blanc every day for 44 years. Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère acquired the estate in autumn 1998.

• Land first acquired in 1832 by Jean-Jacques Ducasse, president of the Tribunal Court of Libourne, from Château Figeac; wines sold under the Cheval Blanc name from 1852
• Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, husband of Ducasse's daughter Henriette, replanted the vineyard from mid-1860 with an unconventional half Merlot, half Cabernet Franc split, completed in 1871
• First medal (bronze) at the 1862 Universal Exhibition of London, still on the label today; gold medal at the 1878 Paris exhibition, also still on the label; second gold at the 1886 Antwerp exhibition
• Albert Fourcaud-Laussac installed twelve wooden vats used until 1966; cellar master Gaston Vaissière worked at the estate every day for 44 years

Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère acquired Château Cheval Blanc in autumn 1998. In 2009, LVMH bought a 50 percent stake in Cheval Blanc from Arnault; the deal also included a 50 percent stake in Arnault's company La Tour du Pin, which owns the separate Saint-Émilion property Château Quinault L'Enclos. Pierre Lurton has managed the estate since the arrival of the Arnault and Frère families in 1998 and has been director at Cheval Blanc since 1991 (Decanter dates his directorship to 1990); on 11 July 2023, Lurton became chairman of the board, and Pierre-Olivier Clouet, technical director since 2008, was promoted to Managing Director. Clouet first joined Cheval Blanc as an intern in 2004, recruited by Lurton, and has overseen projects including the Portzamparc winery and the estate's agroecology program. Cheval Blanc was named Premier Grand Cru Classé A when Saint-Émilion's first classification came out (the estate's history page dates this to 1954; Decanter dates the launch to 1955, with the ranking agreed the previous year), and the ranking was reconfirmed every decade after. In a 12 July letter to Bordeaux négociants and courtiers, Lurton, Clouet and commercial director Arnaud de Laforcade announced Cheval Blanc's withdrawal from the classification, then being revised for 2022. The letter argued that the classification's criteria had drifted toward 'marketing drift' factors such as product placement and how often an estate appears in media, that terroir and viticulture amounted to only 15% of the final grade, and that the evaluation system had lost sight of a wine's identity and typicity, its aging capacity and knowledge of the appellation. The estate did not seek to retain Premier Grand Cru Classé A status when the 2022 classification was published; fellow 'A' estate Château Ausone withdrew separately for similar reasons, and Château Angélus also withdrew from the 2022 process.

• Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère bought Cheval Blanc in autumn 1998; LVMH bought a 50% stake in Cheval Blanc from Arnault in 2009, along with a 50% stake in Arnault's company La Tour du Pin (owner of Château Quinault L'Enclos)
• Pierre Lurton, director since 1991, became chairman of the board on 11 July 2023 as Pierre-Olivier Clouet, technical director since 2008 and a Cheval Blanc intern from 2004, was promoted to Managing Director
• Premier Grand Cru Classé A from Saint-Émilion's first classification, agreed in 1954 and launched in 1955; withdrew in July 2021, citing evaluation criteria misaligned with terroir, wine and history
• A 12 July letter from Lurton, Clouet and commercial director Arnaud de Laforcade criticized the classification's 'marketing drift' and put terroir and viticulture at only 15% of the final grade; Ausone and Angélus also withdrew from the 2022 classification

Château Cheval Blanc sits in the commune of Saint-Émilion at the edge of Pomerol. Most Saint-Émilion growths sit on limestone formations from the tertiary era, but Cheval Blanc's soil is quaternary alluvium from the Isle, sharing the same non-calcareous, varied-texture soils as many prestigious Pomerol properties. Clay, gravel and sand cohabit across the domain, a 'pure accident' of terroir in the estate's words: roughly equal proportions of fine-textured clay soils and coarser gravel soils, with some sandy plots. The vineyard is planted to 55% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, an unconventional mix for the Right Bank; the grape-variety list also includes Malbec, alongside separate Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon plantings for the white wine. The proportion of Cabernet Franc was already close to 50% by 1911. The domain as a whole covers 42 hectares divided into 56 plots and 244,989 individual vines, each identified by row and position; the Château Cheval Blanc Grand Vin is drawn from 39.5 hectares across 55 of those plots. Cheval Blanc is one of the rare properties under single continuous ownership whose plot layout has stayed nearly identical for close to 150 years. Each plot's wine has a distinct character: velvety, soft tannins from the clay-dominant plots, more aromatic and elegant character from the gravel-dominant plots.

• Domain: 42 hectares, 56 plots, 244,989 vines; Grand Vin specifically drawn from 39.5 hectares across 55 plots
• Grape varieties: 55% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, plus Malbec; the proportion of Cabernet Franc was already close to 50% by 1911
• Soils: clay, gravel and sand cohabit, with clay and gravel in roughly equal proportions; quaternary alluvium from the Isle rather than the tertiary limestone typical of most Saint-Émilion growths, sharing character with neighboring Pomerol soils
• Clay-dominant plots give velvety, soft tannins; gravel-dominant plots give a more aromatic, elegant character

Cheval Blanc's 56 plots are each harvested and vinified separately: the picking date for each plot is set only once the estate's technical team judges that aromatic, technological (sugar-acid balance) and phenolic maturity have all been reached, a process that begins with daily measurements from the start of September. Grapes are picked into 20 kg crates, first sorted in the vineyard by the pickers, then sorted bunch by bunch at a selection table, and finally checked berry by berry after destemming. Fermentation is triggered on the second day with a starter of indigenous yeasts, and the cap is pumped over roughly three times a day; samples from each of the 56 plots are tasted daily for about a month and a half. After fermentation, the juice macerates on the skins for several days at 28-30°C; the press wine, about 10% of the total, is kept separate. Malolactic fermentation takes place in the vats at 20°C to preserve each plot's aromatic identity. The winery designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc was inaugurated in June 2011; it holds 67 concrete vats in 14 different sizes, from 12 to 113 hectolitres, each dedicated for the year to a single plot, arranged in six rows. The building was the first winery in its category to receive HQE (High Environmental Quality) certification, and on 20 November 2013 it became the first winery to win the International Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design, together with the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. After three months in barrel, the plots that form the Grand Vin blend are selected by tasting alone; the blend then returns to barrel for about a year in a room ventilated by a lattice moucharaby screen. Barrel aging runs sixteen to eighteen months in a cellar held at a constant 14°C; 300 to 450 new barrels are filled each vintage, numbered and replaced every year, made from 180, 200 and 350-year-old French oak sourced from the Tronçais (Allier) and Bercé (Sarthe) forests and split rather than sawn, supplied by six different coopers. Wine is racked five to seven times per vintage, by hand through the bunghole using nitrogen to limit oxidation.

• Each of the 56 plots is harvested and vinified separately once aromatic, sugar/acid and phenolic maturity all align; grapes picked in 20 kg crates, sorted in the vineyard and at the table, then checked berry by berry after destemming
• Fermentation with indigenous yeast starter, pumped over about three times daily; post-fermentation maceration at 28-30°C; press wine (about 10% of the total) kept separate; malolactic fermentation in vats at 20°C
• Winery by Christian de Portzamparc, inaugurated June 2011: 67 concrete vats in 14 sizes (12-113 hectolitres), one per plot; first winery in its category with HQE certification; won the Chicago Athenaeum's International Architecture Award on 20 November 2013, the first winery to do so
• Grand Vin plots chosen each vintage by tasting alone; barrel aging 16-18 months at a constant 14°C, 300-450 new barrels per vintage, French oak from Tronçais and Bercé forests, wine racked 5-7 times by hand

Château Cheval Blanc produces its Grand Vin from 39.5 hectares across 55 plots, with vintages recorded back to 1919. Le Petit Cheval, the second wine, was first produced in 1988 and belongs to the circle of second wines within the 'Club of Nine'; it is not tied to a single plot, drawing instead on roughly a quarter of the harvest selected across the domain. Le Petit Cheval Blanc, the white wine, traces its origin to 2006, when Cheval Blanc acquired Château La Tour du Pin, an approximately eight-hectare cru classé property separated from Cheval Blanc only by the road linking Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Its vines were integrated and restructured; a portion of the land judged best suited to red grapes was folded into the Cheval Blanc red-wine vineyard in 2012, while the remainder, less restricted in its water content, a handicap for red grapes but a positive trait for whites, was planted to Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Le Petit Cheval Blanc 2014 was presented in September 2016. The Cheval Blanc family of wines also includes Château Quinault L'Enclos and Cheval des Andes, made, in the estate's words, 'with the same care and attention' as the Premier Grand Cru itself; Quinault L'Enclos is owned through the same La Tour du Pin company in which LVMH bought its 2009 stake.

• Château Cheval Blanc (Grand Vin): 39.5 hectares, 55 plots; vintages recorded back to 1919
• Le Petit Cheval: second wine, first produced 1988; part of the 'Club of Nine' second wines; not from a single plot, roughly a quarter of the harvest
• Le Petit Cheval Blanc: story begins with the 2006 purchase of Château La Tour du Pin (about 8 hectares); Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon; the 2014 presented September 2016
• Related wines in the Cheval Blanc family: Château Quinault L'Enclos (owned via the same La Tour du Pin company LVMH bought into in 2009) and Cheval des Andes

Cheval Blanc sorts its vintages into three categories: a group with comparatively little impact on the château's history or the wider Bordeaux region (1973, 1974, 1977, 1984, 1987, 1994, 1997 and 2002 among them); classic vintages that reflect Cheval Blanc's distinctive style; and exceptional vintages, 'extraordinarily expressive from early on,' such as 1947, 1961, 1964, 1982, 1990, 2009 and 2015. The wines can be drunk at nearly any age, from youth up to a hundred years for some vintages, though a bottle opened before ten years will miss some of its potential. For storage, a cellar kept at a stable temperature works best, ideally around 14°C and rarely below 10°C or above 18°C, with 70-75% humidity and bottles stored on their sides. Serve at 15-17°C; a bottle under ten years old benefits from at least an hour of decanting, while older bottles are best left undecanted so as not to lose the delicate, volatile aromas of the first nose. Eggs, tomatoes, cured ham, lemon and orange clash with fine wine and are best avoided; beyond those, in the estate's words, Cheval Blanc 'matches any dish prepared with quality ingredients and love.' Visits to the château and cellars are restricted to trade professionals such as wine merchants, retailers and sommeliers; general visitors are directed to the Saint-Émilion Tourist Office for information on which châteaux are open to the public.

• Vintage categories: lesser-impact years (including 1973, 1974, 1977, 1984, 1987, 1994, 1997, 2002); classic vintages; and exceptional vintages (1947, 1961, 1964, 1982, 1990, 2009, 2015)
• Ageing potential up to about a hundred years for some vintages; cellar storage ideally at 14°C (range 10-18°C), 70-75% humidity, bottles on their sides
• Serve at 15-17°C; decant at least an hour if under ten years old, otherwise avoid decanting to preserve the first nose
• Avoid eggs, tomatoes, cured ham, lemon and orange as pairings; château tours restricted to trade professionals, general visitors directed to the Saint-Émilion Tourist Office

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/history/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/the-vineyard/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/the-team/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/the-winery/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/viticulture/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/vinification/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/understanding-tasting/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/vin/chateau-cheval-blanc/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/vin/le-petit-cheval/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/vin/le-petit-cheval-blanc-white-wine/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/contact-details-how-to-find-us/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/agroecology/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/service-food-pairing/, https://www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com/en/ageing-storing/. Secondary sources: Decanter (11 July 2023; 13 July 2021; 14 August 2009). Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.