CHÂTEAU CHEVAL BLANC
2013 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
53% Cabernet Franc, 47% Merlot. 'In some years Petit Cheval is dangerously close to The Grand Vin in quality, but not this year', says Kies van Leuwen, emphasizing how well they think they have done with the selection. There's a freshness here which has nothing to do with unripeness. More richness of tannin and a racy saline minerality and liveliness, all expressed though broad plum and tight damson fruit, long and fine and very attractive. 2020-2035+ Rating: 93 L&S (Apr 2014)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Medium garnet colored, the 2013 Cheval Blanc has a captivating, open-knit nose of roses and lilacs over a core of fragrant soil, charcuterie, kirsch and raspberry preserves plus a waft of stewed plums. Medium-bodied, chewy and with tons of spring to its step, the palate is delicately fruited with an earthy finish. Drinking range: 2018 - 2031 Rating: 92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Aug 2018)
The final blend of the 2013 Cheval Blanc is 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot. It is a light- to medium-bodied, but stylish, perfumed, complex wine exhibiting hints of forest floor, raspberries and underbrush in a gentle, nicely textured style that builds incrementally in the mouth. Attractive fruit and substance give the wine more completeness than many of its peers. Administrator Pierre Lurton compares it, in a positive manner, to the style of the 2001, but I do not think it has quite the richness of that vintage. Nevertheless, this is an early-maturing, easygoing Cheval Blanc to drink in its first 10-12 years of life. 2014-2026 Rating: 89-91 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Aug 2014)
(53% cabernet franc and 47% merlot): Luminous ruby color. Captivating aromas of strawberry, raspberry, minerals, violet and graphite: very cab franc! The palate offers an uncanny combination of sweetness and penetrating power, with brisk acidity framing and lifting the fine-grained flavors of blackcurrant, spearmint and aromatic spices. The very long, slowly mounting finish conveys an impression of energy and great finesse, and the firm tannic spine suggests that this will age better than most 2013s. This reminded me of the 1993 Cheval Blanc, but it has a little more meat and depth than that wine, not to mention greater precision. Lurton suggested it is more like the 1988. Rating: 90-92 Ian d'Agata - Stephen Tanzer website (May 2014)
Fresh on the nose the palate has good depth with more of a black fruit influence. The mid palate is rich supple and fleshy with a nice mix of flavours. Towards the back there is freshness some red fruits under the black and although the finish is firm there is lots of fruit to show. 2020-30. Rating: 91-95 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2014)
This is a good rather than a great Cheval Blanc, made with 53% Cabernet Franc and 47% Merlot. It’s deeply coloured, but relatively restrained and elegant in style, with a subtle interplay between sweet red fruits, cinnamon oak, textured tannins and acidity. 2018-26 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2014)
(53% Cabernet Franc, 47 Merlot) Only 20 hl/ha. After terrible flowering which affected both grapes they needed to do an enormous amount of work in the vineyard to retain freshness in the wine. This is a classically dimensioned wine and it certainly speaks genuinely of the terroir. Complex, long and slim this is a sleek Cheval Blanc which gains its complexity from the little berries which contribute to the concentration without adding any weight to the wine. Really bright on the nose and the acid is crunchy, too, the remarkable fact is that this is 100% new oak and it has been absorbed completely into the silky fruit. Rating: 17.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2014)
52% Cabernet Franc, 48% Merlot. Very compact nose – much less expressive than the Petit Cheval. Black fruit, no greenness, and a hint of bitter chocolate. Good persistence and balance – this has been well made. Rounded, soft, approachable and with a smoky character just emerging. (RH) Drink 2018-2023. Rating: 17 Richard Hemming MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2014)
53% Cabernet Franc. Ruby red. Quite intense aromatically - summer fruit cocktail. Fine, smooth texture. Good mid-palate fruit. Tannins caressing. Elegant wine with focused finish. Less depth but true to style. Drink: 2020-2035. Rating: 17.75 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2014)
A lovely mix of red berry and blackberry fruit, with focused red currant, bergamot and black cherry notes. A twinge of mesquite, with a note of black tea, hangs on the finish. There's lovely perfume now, with subtle persistence through the finish. This opens steadily at it airs. Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Rating: 91–94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2014)
The Cheval Blanc 2013 is a blend of 52% Cabernet Franc and 48% Merlot, representing around 60% of the total production. It has a complex bouquet, introverted at first with pure black, mineral rich fruit that feels as if it is holding everything back for later. The palate has commendable purity considering the growing season - certainly with no sign of greenness. It might lack a little flair, but it is very focused with fine tension on the linear finish. Whilst this might be construed as a conservative Cheval Blanc, the addition of all the parcels in the blend has created a very well balanced, engaging Saint Emilion, one that might deserve a higher score post-bottling. Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc sits at the pinnacle of the St Emilion meritocracy, unarguably alongside Château Ausone and arguably alongside Château Angélus and Château Pavie, the two estates elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in 2012. But, whilst the other three are clustered around the village of St Emilion, Cheval Blanc is far to the north-west and possibly only a St Emilion by accident of human geography. This is not classic St Emilion limestone and clay territory, Château Cheval Blanc (and neighbouring Figeac) sits on the gravel band that benefits its northerly neighbours across the road and across the border in Pomerol, namely Château Conseillante and Château l’Evangile. Next door Château Figeac was once a mighty estate of some 200ha, but by the early 19th Century the extravagances of the Comtesse de Carle-Trajet had taken their toll and large portions of the estate had to be sold off. Jean-Jacques Ducasse bought a plot of Figeac in 1832, and then a little bit more; his son-in-law, Jean Laussac-Fourcaud bought some more; and by 1871 Château Cheval Blanc had been carved out of the Figeac estate. Initially the wine was still sold as Château Figeac but from 1852 the name Château Cheval Blanc was used. The Laussac-Fourcaud family, morphing into the Fourcaud-Laussac family, owned Cheval Blanc until 1998. With the first classification of St Emilion’s vineyards in 1954, Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone were given special status as Premier Grand Cru Classé (A). New owners in 1998 brought Pierre Lurton in to manage Château Cheval Blanc, something he does alongside managing Château Yquem. A new space-age looking winery was completed in 2011. The 39ha of vineyards are planted to 58% Cabernet Franc and 42% Merlot, with an average age of 40 years. They were augmented by a 1.4ha block added from Château Tour du Pin in 2012. Another block of vines from Tour du Pin appear to be destined for white wine production.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.