Château Cheval Blanc 1996
Château Cheval Blanc 1996 is a red wine from Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, produced by Château Cheval Blanc and classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé A of Saint-Émilion. Its blend brings together 58% Cabernet Franc and 42% Merlot. Jancis Robinson awards it 18/20 and highlights a classic style, an intense bouquet, as well as a fine balance between the estate's traditional and modern expressions. The Wine Advocate rates it 88/100 and recommends drinking between 2016 and 2026, while Jancis Robinson indicated a window of 2008 to 2022.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Packaging
- Original Wooden Case of 12
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Bordeaux
- Appellation
- Saint Emilion
- Producteur / Domaine
- Château Cheval Blanc
- Millésime
- 1996
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- 58% Cabernet Franc, 42% Merlot
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc is a wine estate situated in Saint-Émilion, on the border with Pomerol. Its 39-hectare vineyard lies on a mosaic of gravel and clay and is mainly planted with Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The estate, which took on its current form in the 19th century, has been owned by the Arnault and Frère families since 1998.
- Owner
- Familles Arnault et Frère
- Maître de chais
- Carole André
- Surface (ha)
- 39.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- environ 100 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
Historical documents attest to the presence of vines on the Cheval Blanc estate as early as the 15th century. The history of the estate in its modern form began in 1832, when Jean-Jacques Ducasse acquired the heart of the property. Over the following two decades, the purchase of plots – notably from Château Figeac – enabled the creation of a vineyard whose 39-hectare layout has remained largely unchanged. His daughter Henriette married the Libourne wine merchant Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, who set about modernising the estate. The wine was marketed under the name Cheval Blanc from 1852 onwards. In the mid-1860s, Jean Laussac-Fourcaud replanted part of the vineyards with what was then an unusual proportion of Merlot and Cabernet Franc; this process was completed in 1871. On his death in 1888, the estate passed to his widow and then to their son Albert Fourcaud-Laussac, before remaining in the family for over a century. In 1998, Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frère acquired Château Cheval Blanc. Pierre-Olivier Clouet, the château’s director, retained technical management, whilst Carole André served as cellar master.
