Château
Château Cheval Blanc
How to read this
Capitals mark the stressed syllable. “ahn” is a nasal vowel: say it through the nose, with no n. The recording is the reference.
The
- Appellation
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Châteaux
- See it among the 629
The château
Cheval Blanc stands on gravel and clay at the western edge of
The Laussac-Fourcaud family, in place by about 1859, set the course. Jean Laussac-Fourcaud replanted around 1860 with half Merlot and half Cabernet Franc; by 1911 Cabernet Franc was already close to 50%, and today it is 55%, with 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, across 42 hectares in 56 plots on 3 main soils: clay; gravel and sand; and clay with small pebbles. Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère bought the estate in 1998; today it belongs to LVMH and the Frère family. Pierre Lurton, director since 1991, now presides over the management board, and Pierre-Olivier Clouet, an intern here in 2004 and technical director from 2008, is general manager. The winery by Christian de Portzamparc, inaugurated in June 2011, holds 67 concrete vats in 14 sizes, from 12 to 113 hectoliters, so that every plot can be kept apart.
Cheval Blanc was a Premier Grand Cru Classé A from the first list, the decree of October 7, 1954 followed by the list of June 16, 1955. In July 2021 it withdrew from the classification, and it holds no rank in the list of 2022. At the en primeur (sold as futures, while the wine is still in barrel) tastings of April 2026 the 2025 was all elegance and precision, supple, with layered depth and aromas that unfolded slowly: a wine built on refinement rather than scale, and to me one of the most complete of the vintage. Le Petit Cheval is the second wine; Le Petit Cheval Blanc, a white, was first made in 2014.
At a glance
- Appellation
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Commune
Saint-Émilion , on the boundary withPomerol - Classification
- Premier Grand Cru Classé A from 1955; withdrew in July 2021, not in the list of 2022; Michelin Guide, 3 grapes (2026)
- Owners
- LVMH and the Frère family
- Direction
- Pierre-Olivier Clouet, general manager; Pierre Lurton, president of the management board, director since 1991
- Vineyard
- 42 hectares in 56 plots
- Soil
- Clay; gravel and sand; clay with small pebbles Terroir of
Saint-Émilion → - Grapes
- Cabernet Franc 55%, Merlot 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%
- Cellar
- Christian de Portzamparc’s winery of 2011: 67 concrete vats in 14 sizes, 12 to 113 hectoliters
- Wines
Château Cheval Blanc ; Le Petit Cheval; Le Petit Cheval Blanc, white, since 2014- In history
- Au Cheval-Blanc, of the second marque, at 25 to 30 tonneaux in 1853; a first growth of the graves at 100 tonneaux in 1897
- Took in
Château La Tour du Pin
Sources
- Institutions
- INAO, the
Saint-Émilion classification of 2022 - Its own publications
Château Cheval Blanc : the vineyard, history, the winery; LVMH,Château Cheval Blanc - My tastings
Château Cheval Blanc 2025, April 25, 2026
Revised November 6, 2026. How I choose sources
The record
The
In the Michelin Guide’s first Bordeaux selection, announced on September 8, 2026, it took 3 grapes, the highest mark, one of only 9 estates to do so.
Sources: Decanter, July 13, 2021 · INAO, the
Private
By invitation only.
Case Files
In the news
15
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Top estates support Bordeaux’s next vignerons
Cheval Blanc, Lafite Rothschild,
Petrus and Yquem are helping up-and-coming Bordeaux vignerons.The involvement of four prominent estates puts talent development and the next generation of Bordeaux producers firmly in view.
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Cheval Blanc calls 2026 a vintage of records
Director Pierre Olivier Clouet says the 2026 vintage looks highly promising despite exceptional heat. The Saint Émilion estate is navigating an intense harvest with experienced local picking teams.
Cheval Blanc offers an important early reading of conditions on the Right Bank, particularly for Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It remains one estate's assessment, but its harvest decisions and eventual balance will influence the wider 2026 narrative.
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Jimmy Butler visits major Bordeaux wineries
Jimmy Butler spent 4 days in the Bordeaux wine region, visiting
Château Mouton Rothschild ,Château Lynch-Bages ,Château Cheval Blanc ,Château Lafite Rothschild and Pétrus, and returning to Liber Pater. -
Wine investment: Bordeaux en primeur sales up 'a little'
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur sales rose a little from the weak 2024 campaign but remained below levels seen 5 years ago, according to merchants cited by Decanter. Cheval Blanc, Batailley, Lynch-Bages and Lafite drew strong demand.
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Liv-ex says the Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur campaign attracted demand for only a handful of wines
Liv-ex says Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur attracted selective demand, with buyers favoring Cheval Blanc,
Margaux , Lafite and Batailley while many other wines struggled against older, cheaper vintages. -
Liv-ex: Not all is lost after ‘tepid’ En Primeur campaign
Liv-ex said the Bordeaux En Primeur 2025 campaign produced tepid sales in the UK trade, with release prices viewed as too high, although selective demand emerged for Cheval Blanc,
Margaux , Lafite and Batailley. -
WineCap: which châteaux ‘won’ EP in terms of pricing?
WineCap said fewer than 10 major Bordeaux 2025 en primeur releases offered genuinely attractive pricing to the trade, identifying Lafite Rothschild, Cheval Blanc, Léoville Las Cases,
Margaux and Ducru-Beaucaillou as sensible buys. -
A new era opens at Domaine Beauséjour in Chinon
Arnaud de Laforcade is leaving
Château Cheval Blanc after 17 years as commercial and finance director. He will join Domaine Beauséjour in Chinon as estate manager, in a project backed by Ivan Massonnat of Domaine Belargus. -
En Primeur:
Château Cheval Blanc Clears the HurdleAccording to terredevins.com,
Château Cheval Blanc released its 2025 en primeur on May 11 at €336 ex-négoce, 20% above the 2024 price. -
Cheval Blanc 2025 released after 'smallest harvest since 1961'
Cheval Blanc 2025 was released en primeur on May 11, 2026, after the St-Emilion property's smallest harvest since 1961, except in 1991, when no wine was made, according to Decanter.
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Bordeaux 2025: A Vintage of Promise Meets Market Challenges
Bordeaux's 2025 futures campaign has begun with Cheval Blanc leading the way, as the vintage shows promising quality but tiny quantities and faces economic and uncertain market conditions, according to Wine Spectator.
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Could Cheval Blanc 2025’s nominal increase define the campaign?
According to thedrinksbusiness.com,
Château Cheval Blanc 2025's en primeur release at about 21% above last year's price could influence the wider Bordeaux campaign, as the estate cites a very small harvest. -
The Premiers Grands Crus Classés and 'stars' of
Saint-Émilion After 2 years of élevage, Terre de Vins names Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Angélus among the standout 2023
Saint-Émilion properties and comments on the Premiers Grands Crus Classés. It says the uneven vintage offers informed consumers more accessible successes than 2022. -
Decanter Fine Wine Index: Which vintages of
Château Cheval Blanc offer value for collectors?On March 5, 2026, Decanter identified good-value options among the 10 most recent vintages of
Château Cheval Blanc , using Liv-ex secondary-market prices and Decanter scores. -
BBR auctions ‘treasure trove’ from the cellars of the Berry and Rudd families
Berry Bros. & Rudd is auctioning wine from the cellars of the Berry and Rudd families, with bidding closing on February 3. Lots include a 1966
Château Cheval Blanc , a 1979 Le Pin magnum and a 1975Château Lafite Rothschild magnum.
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