Château Cheval Blanc, 2025
Château Cheval Blanc, 2025
- 75cl
- 12.7%
- Red Still
- Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Please note, en primeur wines are not available for delivery until they arrive in the UK
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Est. delivery in 2028.
We find ourselves in the presence of Bordeaux royalty. Cheval Blanc is the estate that proved Cabernet Franc could lead rather than follow, crafting wines that float between power and grace with an almost otherworldly elegance.
What the critics say:
"Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Intense black forest berries, a hint of juniper, herbs and tobacco, blueberries, candied mandarin zest, very multi-faceted bouquet. Full-bodied, highly elegant, ripe heart cherries, finesse-rich structure, seamless, perfect tannins, a highly delicate wine with enormous length, immense minerality, designed for a long ageing period, a hint of nougat in the finish, an enormous promise for the future."
"A blend of 51% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2025 Château Cheval Blanc stands out once again as among the finest wines of the vintage in Bordeaux. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of blood orange and iris, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with terrific mid-palate density, sweet tannins and a long, vibrant, violet-inflected finish. With its striking aromas, intensity of flavor and resolutely classical proportions (checking in at 12.7% alcohol and pH of 3.76), the 2025 gives every indication of being one of the great Cheval Blancs of the decade."
"One of the lowest yields of Cheval Blanc ever at just 15hl/ha with no Petit Cheval made this year. Chinese five spice, cedar, cinnamon, rose buds, soy, purple flowers, blackcurrants and cherries on the nose. Supple and fleshy, round and enveloping yet softly chalky so you get weight but not massive density in the glass. Tannins are wonderful and the power comes underneath not at the fore. Suave, fresh and floats along the palate – generous yet reined in, glossy, bright with lovely acidity. Almost a bit shy and quiet but so well controlled. I love it for its delicacy and hands-off approach. Definitely not a showstopper but given the conditions it’s incredible how they ended up here. Complex, charming, soft, pretty and delicious without trying too hard at all. 3.76pH."
Cheval Blanc sits on Saint-Émilion's most distinctive terroir: a rare patch of deep gravel beds mixed with blue clay, more reminiscent of Pomerol than typical Saint-Émilion limestone. This unique soil composition, combined with the property's position at 40 metres elevation near the Pomerol border, creates perfect drainage whilst retaining enough moisture for the vines. The gravel warms quickly, favouring the late-ripening Cabernet Franc, whilst the clay provides the mineral backbone that gives these wines their legendary ageability.
Saint-Émilion represents the Right Bank's most prestigious appellation, where Merlot and Cabernet Franc reign supreme over the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Left Bank. The classification system, revised every decade, places Cheval Blanc among just four premier grand cru classé A estates. Unlike the Médoc's geological uniformity, Saint-Émilion's terroir varies dramatically, from limestone plateaux to gravel slopes, creating wines of remarkable diversity within a single appellation.
The 2025 Bordeaux vintage emerged from one of the most demanding growing seasons in recent memory — the earliest budbreak since 1989, June temperatures second only to 2003 since records began, and an unusually early harvest beginning in August for the whites. Conditions that should have produced heavy, overripe wines. They didn't. Decanter's Georgie Hindle, who tasted close to 200 wines ahead of the formal campaign, describes "exceptional concentration, aromatic purity and a freshness that contradicts the record-breaking heat.
The early critical consensus places 2025 stylistically between the precision of 2020 and the structure of 2016, with the brightness of 2023 — a combination that suggests a very serious vintage indeed. Yields are dramatically low, the smallest crop since 1991, with production across the Gironde running around 15% below the five-year average. The quality is here. There simply isn't very much of it.
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Château Cheval Blanc
