Despite the name, Cheval Blanc is a red wine — the white horse is thought to come from a coaching inn that once stood on the site. The estate lies at the far north-western corner of Saint-Émilion, its rows running right up to the Pomerol boundary, and it is planted unlike anywhere else: roughly sixty per cent Cabernet Franc to forty per cent Merlot, on gravel over blue clay.
With Ausone it held the top rank of the Saint-Émilion classification, Premier Grand Cru Classé A, and in 1974 it was still owned by the Fournier family, who bought it in the 1850s and kept it until 1998. The reputation rests on perfume rather than power, and the 1947 remains one of the most argued-over bottles ever made in Bordeaux.
1974 was a wet, unhelpful year and we will not pretend otherwise. What has survived is a bottle from one of the two greatest addresses on the Right Bank, carrying a date that matters to somebody.
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Producer: Château Cheval Blanc
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Vintage: 1974
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Appellation: Saint-Émilion AOC
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Format: 75cl
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Region: Bordeaux, France
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Style: Red
Where it is likely to be now. A modest vintage at a great address, so expect a fully mature and possibly faded wine — it is sold without a guarantee of drinkability.
Who it suits. For a fifty-second birthday or a fifty-second wedding anniversary in 2026 where the point is handing over one of the two or three greatest names on the Right Bank.
Condition. The cellar's note reads simply good; at this price we check the bottle personally and send photographs of the fill, capsule and label before your card is touched.
Provenance. Bought to order from a professional European merchant. We check fill, label and capsule when the bottle reaches us and photograph it before it ships.
Delivered in 7 to 10 working days, tracked. Transit cover can be added at checkout.
Sold as a collectible item, as seen. No guarantee is given on drinkability.
