2021 Château Cheval Blanc En Primeur
Just released, 2021 Château Cheval Blanc is described by Antonio Galloni as "one of the wines of the vintage" (96-98 points). The major critics' tasting notes are, as with many wines in 2021, even more evocative than usual, with William Kelley finding "raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of cigar wrapper, vine smoke, rose petals and violets " and Lisa Perotti-Brown MW finding also "star anise, chocolate box, and an exotic waft of sandalwood." The eloquent notes sum up the wonderful perfume of the best 2021s and this undoubtedly one of, if not the best of them.
Vintage years often seem to fall into seemingly meaningful but random number patterns (for example, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, all declared as great years). We wouldn't be at all surprised if 2021 turns out to be like 2001, another difficult growing season, which on release was thought to be a 'good' vintage, but was over-shadowed by the greatness of 2000. With bottle age, many of those 2001s have proved delightful, some of them more so than the 2000s. 2021 Cheval Blanc may well perform the same trick, a decade from now.
The success of the grand vin in 2021 is in part due to very stringent selection, hence production is down by 35%, consequently availability will be very limited this year. Please enquire if you would like an allocation.
Stock is extremely limited and offered on allocation, please e--mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk to enquire for availability by.
Offered en primeur, landing spring 2024.
Producer Profile
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc is a 1er Grand Cru Classé (A) in Saint-Émilion. Originally part of the Figeac estate, it became a separate vineyard in 1832. Initially the wines were sold under the Figeac label, but the estate acquired its own identity in the 1850s, under the name Cheval Blanc. The name is believed to derive from a village of the same name which existed here in the 16th century. It was also in the 1850s that Cheval Blanc began to blend Merlot and Cabernet Franc, establishing the style which defines modern Saint-Émilion wines. Today the estate, along Château d'Yquem, is owned by LVMH and managed by Pierre Lurton.
The modern estate is comprised of 39 hectares, divided into 45 plots, each vinified separately. The vineyards are planted to 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate is blessed with both clay and gravel soils. Many estates in Saint-Émilion have one but not the other (Cheval Blanc is on the border with Pomerol). There are three main soil types – fine-textured with clay, more coarsely textured with gravel, and large gravel with sand – making up a complex patchwork.
Annual production of the grand vin is around 6000 cases. The second wine is Le Petit Cheval, with around 2500 cases produced. The impressive vat room, designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc, allows for precise vinification by individual parcels.
In July 2021, Cheval Blanc (along with Angelus), announced its intention to withdraw from the St-Emilion classification, due to be renewed in 2022.
| RED | 2021 | 1 bottle | Château Cheval Blanc | 75cl | £295 per bottle | Château Cheval Blanc 2021 / 1 bottle / 75cl £295 per bottle |
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