Château Cheval Blanc - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2014

The world-class wines of Château Cheval Blanc are unparalleled Right Bank styles that, despite its involvement in recent bureaucratic turmoil, are wines of consistent quality reaching beyond the scope of any modern classification system. While vines have been cultivated on property since antiquity, the estate was officially formed in 1832 when land was split-off from the esteemed Château Figeac and sold as a separate property. In the hands of its dutiful new owners, Château Cheval Blanc was formed, its vineyards renovated, and the winery’s production quickly gained recognition for its exceptional quality. The wines were acknowledged early on for their excellence, earning prestigious medals at the 1862 London and 1878 Paris Universal Exhibitions, accolades that are still proudly featured on the Cheval Blanc label today.

As one of the two original Premier Grand Cru Classé A estates, Cheval Blanc consistently maintained its position amongst St-Émilion’s elite well into the 21st century. This dedication was counter-intuitively exemplified when Cheval Blanc, along with three other top estates, made the bold decision to withdraw from the Saint-Émilion classification system in 2022. This move was prompted by their dissatisfaction with the new scoring system, which they believed had shifted to place more emphasis on brand development than wine quality. By taking a stand against the local ranking system, Cheval Blanc only reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to producing wines of uncompromising excellence, confident that its reputation and the quality of its wines can speak for themselves.

The main guideline of the vinification at Cheval Blanc is based on a fresh ripening of the grapes, a pure parcel-by-parcel vinification, a gentle extraction, a long maceration, manual pumping over and a single delestage during 4 weeks of maceration. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vats, then the wine ages in barrels.

"Supple, elegant, and seamless, the 2014 Chateau Cheval Blanc is about as classic as they come from this estate and shows the character of the vintage perfectly. Made from 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc brought up all in new barrels (although you’d never know that from tasting it), its still-youthful ruby/purple color is followed by a complex bouquet of sweet kirsch, black raspberries, violets, menthol, and flowery incense. With terrific sweetness of fruit, medium body, an ethereal texture, polished tannins, and a great finish, it’s going to hit prime time in another 2-4 years and, I suspect, surprise with its longevity."  - 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (tasted on 6/14/2019)

"So much damson-plum and plum-cake richness, plus a substantial amount of fine tannin behind it, give this rich wine an impressively plush texture. Very long, supple finish that makes it hard not to reach for the glass once again. Drink or hold" - 94 Points, James Suckling

Producer: Château Cheval Blanc

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Varietal: Merlot, Cabernet Franc 

Appellation: Saint-Émilion

Vintage: 2014

Size: 750ml