CHÂTEAU CHEVAL BLANC
2025 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
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. Rating: 98-100 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2026)
75cl bottles (wood case of 6)
* 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.
The 2025 Cheval Blanc is seamless and textured. A wine of mystery and seduction, the 2025 dazzles. Time in the glass brings out the wine's tension and energy. Sage, mint, lavender, cloves and cool, blue-toned fruit all build in the glass. In one tasting, Cheval Blanc was massively tannic; in a second tasting, those tannins were much more seamless, highlighting how differently wines can show from day to day. In the case of Cheval Blanc, en primeur samples are mini-bottlings, and both samples I tasted came from the same batch. Yields in 2025 were just 15 hectoliters per hectare, tiny by any measure. The winemaking team, led by Pierre-Olivier Clouet, used 46 of the 47 parcels on the estate for the Grand Vin. A small amount of wine was sold in bulk; the rest was bottled as Grand Vin. There is no Petit Cheval. Time on skins ran from 26 to 32 days, longer than the 22-28 that's more typical. For those who care about the data, alcohol is just 12.7%, which is hard to believe, with brisk acids that clock in at 3.76 pH. In many vintages Cheval Blanc can be exuberant, but the 2025 is rather closed, more of an intellectual wine that will require years in bottle to truly show everything it has to offer. Drinking range: 2035 - 2075 Rating: 96-99 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2026)
Pure and deep - and so very long. There is a tightly wound concentration, but this remains superbly balanced and light on its feet. Wonderfully concentrated elegance and lots of clean power. Muscular even, its the power delivered though underlying freshness that makes this Cheval Blanc deeply impressive. Perfume of red flowers and strawberry foam. Delicious. The team here have put everything into make a great Grand Vin this year - their fruit crop was light anyway because of the problems in 2024 and the dry season in 2025 - but they still took the decision to drop any fruit that was on younger vines and on more dry soils - so as to concentrate the vines' energies into making a small quantity of very high quality fruit. Just 15 HL/HA well below half a normal harvest - and there is no Petit Cheval this year either.L&S (Apr 2026)
Perfumed, with aromas of flowers, brambleberries and wild berries. Medium-bodied with tight, fine tannins that run forever on the palate. Hints of cedar, mushrooms and bark. Crunchy at the end. Just a hint of fancy bitterness and chocolate. Transparent and complete. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2026)
The 2025 Cheval Blanc includes all 47 plots on the estate except one that was sold off. This nose is more immediate than some of its neighbours, a mixture of blackcurrant, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry, very expressive, underneath which lie tobacco and graphite scents. It is open, nothing hidden here. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red berry fruit, just a touch of black pepper, a more reserved and structured Cheval Blanc than usual, vertical in style, the Cabernet Franc driving the finish. Not what I would call a sensual Cheval Blanc, but it has a distinctive character. Not everyone is going to fall head over heels for this Cheval Blanc because it is uncompromising, and I like that. Just be patient. This will need time. Drinking range: 2033 - 2055 Rating: 95-97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2026)
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 on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £17.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2025 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2028. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. Many properties specify a standard case format, and may make additional charges for six-bottle cases, for example. We offer wood cases of six bottles as standard where these are available without extra charge, but we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. If you want six-bottle cases where a 12 bottle case is offered, please check for the extra case charge. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£20.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£10.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£50.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£70.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2028. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.