Château Cheval Blanc

History

Vines were mentioned in Cheval Blanc as early as the 15th century, but it was in 1832 that Jean-Jacques Ducasse reunited the heart of the estate, before acquiring plots of Château Figeac to form a 39-hectare plot that has remained virtually unchanged since. His son-in-law, Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, imagined in the 1860s a vineyard then unpublished on the right bank, in almost equal shares of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and marketed the wine under the name of Cheval Blanc from 1852. The medals obtained at the Universal Exhibitions in London (1862), Paris (1878) and Antwerp (1886) — always represented on the label — established its international reputation, confirmed by the classification of Premier Grand Cru Classé "A" in 1954.

Château Cheval Blanc, in Saint-Émilion, cultivates a 39-hectare vineyard at the confluence of the Isle and the Dordogne, on quaternary alluvium that it shares with the grand crus of Pomerol rather than with the typical limestones of Saint-Émilion. Owned by Bernard Arnault and the Frère family since 1998, the estate voluntarily withdrew in 2021 from the Premier Grand Cru Classé "A" classification, which it had held since 1954, to refocus its requirement on the terroir rather than on the evaluation grids.

The Vineyard

The vineyard of 39 hectares (56 plots) is based on a mosaic of rare soils in Saint-Émilion: gravel and clays coexist almost equally, a terroir that he shares with his neighbors of Pomerol rather than with the limestone formations of the appellation. The vineyard, atypical for the right bank, is dominated by Cabernet Franc (55%), supplemented by Merlot (40%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%). Each plot — identified up to the foot of the vine — is monitored individually (soil temperature, water supply, ripening) to adjust the soil/grape variety adequacy: velvety tannins on the clays, more aromatic and fine expression on the gravel.

Certifications

Since 2021, the estate has been committed to an agroecology and agroforestry approach (polyculture, livestock, market gardening, no-till living soils) and has adopted the status of a company with a mission.