Château Cheval Blanc 2007
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 2007 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 92
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Cheval Blanc has a refined bouquet with scents of red berry fruit, leather, iron filing and orange rind, perhaps a little more advanced than some of its Saint Emilion peers, but still attractive. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin on the entry. This is a "stocky" Cheval Blanc, with the Cabernet Franc component really forming the backbone to this wine, imparting bell pepper and spice box notes towards the grippy finish. I think it might have peaked a couple of years ago, so drink now and over the next 15 years. Tasted February 2017.
Decanter
Point Score: 96
There is plumpness to the black fruit that gives beautiful impact on the attack, and here it combines with a tightening of the tannins from the mid-palate onwards. A deep richness to the texture tells you this is a complex and supremely confident wine.
Stephen Tanzer - Vinous
Point Score: 92
Bright red-ruby. Perfumed aromas of violet, licorice and smoke. Like liquid silk in the mouth, with captivating inner-mouth perfume of berries, smoky oak and flowers. The broad, dusty tannins reach the front teeth. Doesn't possess the force or dimension of a great vintage but offers the advantage of early sweetness. Not particularly backward today, but there's more to come.