Château Cheval Blanc 1978 Bouteille (75cl) ME
Château Cheval Blanc 1978 is a red wine from Saint-Émilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé A, crafted by Château Cheval Blanc. Its blend consists of 58% Cabernet Franc and 42% Merlot, a proportion that places Cabernet Franc at the heart of the vintage's expression. 1978 was a year of late harvesting in October in Bordeaux; Cheval Blanc ranks among the notable successes reported in Saint-Émilion. The Wine Advocate awards it 93/100 with a drinking window ranging from 1998 to 2028; Jancis Robinson rates it 19/20. Critics describe a mature, velvety, and lively wine, whose melted tannins support nuances of dark fruits, smoke, truffle, incense, mint, and faded rose.
The bottle offered
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Packaging
- Original Wooden Case of 3
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Mid Shoulder
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Wine details
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Bordeaux
- Appellation
- Saint Emilion
- Producteur / Domaine
- Château Cheval Blanc
- Millésime
- 1978
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
- LVMH / Albert 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Historical documents attest to the presence of vines on the Cheval Blanc estate as early as the 15th century.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.
