Château Cheval Blanc 2019

The precision and complexity of a great vintage ending in -9 by Cheval Blanc

The estate
Known all over the world, the Grand Cru Classé A Château Cheval Blanc is one of the legendary winemaking estates of the right bank of the Bordeaux region. The property's Second Wine, Petit Cheval, offers a superb introduction to the excellence of Cheval Blanc: a refined, powerful wine, with punchy and delicious fruit on the palate. With a new winery designed by Christian de Portzamparc and inaugurated in June 2011, Château Cheval Blanc continues to be an important part of the legend of Bordeaux’s greatest wines.

The vineyard
Cheval Blanc boasts a unique and rare terroir and a special position on the Saint-Émilion plateau. While the appellation of Saint-Emilion is known for its limestone formations, Château Cheval Blanc is situated on Quaternary alluvium soils of Isle, a non-limestone formation with a varied texture, combining gravel and clay soils in roughly equal proportions. This unique soils is quite similar to those of the greatest estates of Pomerol.

The vintage
The 2019 vintage was marked by low disease pressures. While the rainy days in June caused fear of mildew, none ever appeared in the vineyard of the Château Cheval Blanc. The ideal climatic conditions during the summer made it possible to start the harvest peacefully with the fruit in perfect sanitary condition. Ultimately, this 2019 vintage allowed the wine to accurately express the identity of the three types of terroir of Château Cheval Blanc. The richness and power of the Merlot was perfectly controlled through a very precise harvest, while the Cabernet ripened more slowly, allowing it to develop very fine tannins.

The blend
Merlot (58%), cabernet franc (34%), cabernet sauvignon (8%).

The tasting
Tasted en primeur, the Château Cheval Blanc 2019 impresses with its aromatic complexity. The characteristics of Merlot, the dominant grape variety in the blend, are expressed through notes of red and black fruits. Aromas of raspberry, cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant emerge with great precision, charming the nose with a sensational, gourmet sweetness and hints of balsamic. The attack on the palate is characterised by great charm and generosity, expressing the full-bodied roundness of the Merlot. The palate is unctuous, with a dense and tender substance. On the mid-palate, Cabernet Franc manifests itself through a great freshness, which stretches long into a very persistent finish. Combining power, depth, density, freshness and tension, the Château Cheval Blanc 2019 is undoubtedly one of the greatest vintages from this iconic property.