Château Cheval Blanc

Château Cheval Blanc - A Bordeaux masterpiece

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 - A wine of legendary reputation

The year 1947 is often referred to as the "year of the century" by many wine lovers and experts, especially when it comes to the finest Bordeaux vintages. Among the countless outstanding wines of this harvest, Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 stands out, not only because of its unique quality, but also because of its complex history and the remarkable circumstances under which it was produced.

The 1947 vintage was particularly distinctive, as the climatic conditions that year were almost perfect. A warm spring and a hot, dry summer led to optimal ripening of the grapes throughout.

However, the 1947 harvest was not without its challenges. After the Second World War, there was a shortage of labour and resources, which severely affected wine production. Nevertheless, the team at Chateau Cheval Blanc managed to defy these obstacles. The grapes were carefully selected and a rigorous selection process took place to ensure that only the best specimens made it to the cellar, and the winemakers were willing to use every possible means to create a wine of the highest quality.

The wine itself is characterised by a deep red colour and a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity. The nose reveals complex aromas of ripe red fruits, spices, truffles and floral notes, while the palate has a velvety texture with a long, elegant finish. Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 is a prime example of the possibilities of the Merlot grape and at the same time offers an explosion of flavour nuances that can only be found in the world's greatest wines.

Another remarkable feature of this vintage is its exceptional longevity. Many bottles from the 1947 vintage show remarkable freshness and vitality even decades after bottling. Connoisseurs report tastings where the wine still appeared vibrant and expressive after more than 70 years, a characteristic that makes Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 a coveted collector's item and a must for any serious wine lover.

The significance of Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 goes beyond its flavour and quality. The wine is also a symbol of the resilience and craftsmanship of the winemakers who created an exceptional wine despite adverse conditions. Furthermore, the 1947 vintage helped to raise the reputation of Saint-Émilion on an international level and cement the estate's status as one of the best in Bordeaux.

Today, bottles of Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 are regularly traded at auction, often at astronomical prices reflecting its high demand and legendary status, with enthusiasts and collectors willing to invest considerable sums to own a piece of wine history.

To summarise, Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 is not just a wine, it is an experience, a legacy and an example of the art of winemaking that continues to inspire generations of wine lovers today. Its combination of outstanding quality, history and rarity makes it an unforgettable part of any wine culture and tradition.

Here are some tasting notes from Chateau Cheval Blanc wines:

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1921

I had the pleasure of drinking Cheval Blanc three times from marvellous magnums, most recently in May 1999 at Willi Krähling's big Cheval Blanc tasting. Almost in the same league as the Petrus with its sensational bouquet and intense sweetness, first drunk in 1993 at Walter Eigensatz's Petrus tasting and then several more times in very nice magnums (source: wineterminator.com Dr. Becker).

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1945

Winespectator WS 95/100: Generous, ripe and chewy, very pretty from start to finish, supple and nicely rounded, glowing with plum, raspberry and spice flavours that remain gentle and elegant. Heady, somehow remaining elevated and elegant throughout --1945 horizontal.

I have never been able to make friends with 1945 Cheval Blanc, which always had too much volatile acidity. But this time we also got a very good example. Of course, this bottle also had a strong, but well-integrated, supporting acidity. A very fine, finesse wine that was somewhat undeservedly lost among these giants - 96/100 (source: wineterminator.com Dr Becker).

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947

One of the 47 wine legends is Cheval Blanc. This wine has been fully drinkable since the early 1950s and has caused a stir ever since with its lush, porty style. Unfortunately, there are now not only too many over-travelled bottles and masses of counterfeits. Cheval Blanc is also beginning to weaken in all bottles that have not been stored in ONE cellar for a long time. My best bottles were a 1992 Vandermeulen bottling - incredibly deep, powerful colour, more reminiscent of an 82 than a 45-year-old wine. Thick, fleshy, reminiscent of Port, very long and another class better than the already top-rated 47 Margaux 100/100 - and a perfect chateau bottling at our century tasting in 1993. After that came numerous magnums, for which I simply lack the faith, except for one in 1997 at a large tasting for the 50th birthday of a wine friend, restrained nose, like my VDM's porty on the palate, very strong colour, dense, concentrated, not the class of earlier Cheval 47s, but certainly more honest - 96/100. (Source: wineterminator.com Dr. Becker)

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1953

Cheval Blanc is also huge. Often drunk with great enthusiasm from various bottle formats and from a wide variety of bottlers. In 2000, a half bottle(!) slightly topped the 55 and seemed even younger overall, Cheval Blanc in perfection, madness - 99/100. In 2003, I compared 3 different Cheval Blanc bottlings in a sample. At the beginning Dalamier was the greatest, but with time the Chateaux bottling got better and better, Vandermeulen the eternal #2 at a very high level, slightly exotic, all 3 very great wines. Most recently in 2006 from the 1/2 bottle with an imperfect "us" fill level, which I didn't dare to decant. So I opened it and poured it into the glass. That almost robbed us of the great Cheval Blanc pleasure. A powerful, irrepressible wine with a dense, young colour came into the glass, closed except for a clear musty note in the nose. It did not sing on the palate either. This only changed after a while. The wine expanded incredibly in the glass, developing the classic, addictive Cheval Blanc nose, a fine sweetness and a great, powerful aroma. 88/100 became 92/100, then 95/100, then 96/100 and then the glass was empty. There would probably have been more. The '53 Cheval Blanc is an amazing wine, still with incredible potential (source: wineterminator.com Dr Becker)

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1961

Cheval Blanc can be a really great wine experience. In 1997 in a 61 tasting it was not behind 61 Latour with great colour, very present tannins, great substance at the beginning of its development, dense, slightly porous, rich, in the direction of the otherworldly 47 - 99/100. At a similar level also in 1999 at Willi Krähling's great Cheval Blanc tasting. Here from the magnum even younger. Without question a wine with a great future - if the bottle is ok (source: wineterminator.com Dr Becker).

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1959

I am always fascinated by the ease with which Cheval Blanc ages. Well, here too there are badly stored and mistreated bottles. But those who treat their Chevals with care will enjoy them for an extremely long time. The best example of this were two half bottles purchased in Belgium. These were both great wines in 1995 and 97 with a lot of power and wonderful sweetness - 96/100. The 1999 wine at Willi Krähling's big Cheval Blanc tasting was sensational, power colour, coffee tones, but also strong acidity, candied sweetness (crême brulée), a wine to chew on, which hardly stops on the palate - 98/100. My best bottle to date was then in 2006 at the big Cheval Blanc tasting at the Stromburg. Cheval Blanc like something out of a picture book, very fine with a malty sweetness. This incredible elegance and finesse, a crazy, unique wine that never stops on the palate - 100/100 (source: wineterminator.com Dr Becker)

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1982

Cheval Blanc was once considered one of the superstars. I must have drunk this wine a good 2 dozen times. I have experienced it euphorically at a clear 100/100 as well as closed. Unfortunately, several times in clearly counterfeit bottles that contained everything but Cheval Blanc. Great caution is therefore called for when buying more! Cheval Blanc was big at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s. Then it began to close. A huge disappointment in 1993 at the Gigantenprobe in the Caveau, nose gone, power gone, opulence gone. After that, several more disappointments. In 1999, at Willi Krähling's big Cheval Blanc tasting, a fine but still damn young and closed double magnum, but one could recognise the enormous potential. - 95/100. In the same year in an 82 tasting from the 1/1 crazy sweetness and extract density, the wine of the flight, a highlight of the evening - 100/100. Also in 2001 three times from very timely decanted bottles a perfect 100/100 experience. 2004 again a little closed. I would (and will!) give the Cheval Blanc a few more years in the cellar, as it slowly came out of its shell at the big Cheval Blanc tasting in 2006. This is an enormous concentrate with sweet extract, plump fruit, with an incredible density, fullness and power, 96/100 in the glass that evening. Another strange bottle in 2007, Cheval Blanc was probably in it, but certainly not an 82 (source: wineterminator.com Dr Becker).

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1986

Rene Gabriel (Bordeaux Total): "Powerful, masculine wine; very dense and rich structure. The masculine structure of this fleshy wine allows certain parallels with the 1975 vintage from the same house. However, this 86 Cheval is significantly better vinified. In any case, I consider the potential to be enormous and this wine will only reach a brilliant maturity for savouring towards 2005. If the colour is any indication of this assertion, I note that it has hardly changed in the last ten years."

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1989

Parker 89 points: Since its bottling, the 1989 has frequently been disappointing. In this tasting, it showed better than it has over the last several years. The 1989 is not a great effort for this chateau. The colour is already revealing an amber edge, and the lead pencil, cedar, spicy, black fruit, and vanillin-scented nose is more reminiscent of a young Lafite, than the exotic style associated with Cheval Blanc in a hot, dry, ripe year. This medium weight, lightly tannic wine is very approachable.

Château Cheval Blanc is an artistic masterpiece - where power and elegance merge. Its wines are poems in bottle form and are among the most sought-after in the world.