Review of the Estate

Château Cheval Blanc (French for "White Horse Castle"), is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. As of 2012, its wine is one of only four to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine, along with Château Angélus, Château Ausone, and Château Pavie.

The estate's second wine is named Le Petit Cheval.                  

In 1832, Château Figeac sold 15 hectares/37 acres to M. Laussac-Fourcaud, including part of the narrow gravel ridge that runs through Figeac and neighbouring vineyards and reaches Château Pétrus just over the border in Pomerol. This became Château Cheval Blanc which, in the International London and Paris Exhibitions in 1862 and 1867, won medals still prominent on its labels. The château remained in the family until 1998, when it was sold to Bernard Arnault, chairman of luxury goods group LVMH, and Belgian businessman Albert Frère, with Pierre Lurton installed as estate manager, a constellation similar to that of the group's other chief property Château d'Yquem.

Vineyard

Surface area: 100 acres

Grape Varieties: 57% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec

Average age of vines: 39 years

Density of plantation: 6,000 - 7,00 vines per hectare

Average yields: 35 - 40 hectoliters per hectare

Average cases produced: 6,000 per year

Plateau of maturity: 15 - 50 years

Robert Parker Cheval Blanc 1993 Review

Score: 87 Points

Dark ruby with a purple hue, this appealing style of Cheval Blanc offers the tell-tale nose of sweet black fruits, coconut, vanilla, and a touch of menthol. The wine is medium-bodied, elegant, purely made, and while it lacks volume and richness in the mouth, it is soft, delicious, and typical of this property’s wines. This tasty, charming 1993 should drink well for 7-8 years. *** Medium dark ruby-colored, with sweet scents of cassis, mulberries, menthol, and smoky new oak, this medium-bodied wine reveals fine concentration, as well as elevated tannin in the finish. The tannin gives the wine a dry, angular, compact personality. It will be interesting to see how this wine behaves after bottling. Will fining bring everything into balance, at the same time cutting the intrusive tannin level?

Score: 87