2025 Chateau Cheval Blanc - St. Emilion (750ml) [Bordeaux Future ETA 2028]

Cheval Blanc: pioneering excellence

The history of vine cultivation at Cheval Blanc dates back to the 15th century. In 1998, two great wine enthusiasts, Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère, joined forces to acquire this historic gem of Saint-Émilion.

Its 39-hectare vineyard stands out for the remarkable consistency of its boundaries, which have remained unchanged for over 150 years. This unique heritage is made up of 45 plots, forming a true living mosaic. The distinctive character of this exceptional terroir—combining fine clay soils with gravelly ones—has given rise to an original grape composition, with Cabernet Franc as the dominant variety since 1911.

Cheval Blanc was one of the first estates in Bordeaux to embrace agroforestry. Recognizing the need to strengthen the balance of this fragile yet extraordinary ecosystem to ensure it can be passed on to future generations, the team—led by Pierre-Olivier Clouet—chose to rethink their practices and reintroduce trees throughout the vineyard. Their aim: to promote biodiversity and restore fertility to the soil.

The 2025 Vintage : 

The vintage is therefore expected to be highly concentrated, fresh, balanced and promising, showing all the hallmarks of a great Cheval Blanc, according to Pierre-Olivier Clouet. Due to low yields, and exceptionally this year, the entire production will be released to the market.

"The 2025 gives every indication of being one of the great Cheval Blancs of the decade" William Kelley, 98-100pts

The 2025 vintage was marked by an extremely dry and hot summer, with significant water stress and record temperatures, including a peak of 41.6°C on 11 August. Although annual rainfall was close to average, the limited rainfall during winter and summer placed the vines under considerable stress, particularly on gravel soils.

This water stress led to very low yields, around 15 hL/ha, with small berries, thick skins and little juice. Harvesting took place early, between 1 and 18 September, following an early véraison at the end of July. The sanitary condition of the grapes remained excellent thanks to the dry conditions. Rainfall after 20 August helped improve phenolic ripeness and the overall balance of the grapes. 

-CVBG