Château Cheval Blanc 1997
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 Classè (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine, along with Château Angèlus, 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 Pètrus 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
Château Cheval Blanc 1997 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 87
A seductive, fragrant style of Cheval Blanc, with moderate density and weight, this immediately appealing 1997 exhibits an exotic nose of coconut, plums, cherry liqueur, and sweet, toasty oak. The wine's alluring personality is accompanied by fine suppleness, low acidity, medium body, and current drinkability. Consume it over the next 7-9 years.
Wine Spectator
Point Score: 87
Lovely aromas of ripe fruit, coffee and toasted oak. Medium- to full-bodied, with a good backbone of tannin and a medium finish. A bit austere. Too much wood? Give this a little time. Best after 2000.-James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2000
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous
Point Score: 90
Very good deep red-ruby color. Floral, cool, slightly medicinal aromas of kirsch, licorice, violet and mint. Tightly wrapped and not particularly sweet or generous on the palate. Finishes with dusty but even tannins and a faint leafy quality. This is unlikely to be more than an average vintage for Cheval, but, as always, the wine will require another look after a year in barrel.