The vineyard runs right to the edge of Pomerol, and that is the whole story of Cheval Blanc. Its gravel and blue clay have more in common with the plateau behind Pétrus than with the limestone hill of Saint-Émilion, and the planting follows suit: Cabernet Franc dominant, Merlot behind it, a blend that exists almost nowhere else in France. The result — despite a name that means white horse — is a red wine of scent and silk rather than muscle.
1975 was the first properly ripe Bordeaux vintage in years: hot, dry, small-cropped and heavy with tannin. On the Right Bank the wines came out sterner than usual, and Cheval Blanc's 1975 has long been counted among the more successful bottles of an unforgiving year.
This is one of only two estates that held the top rank of the Saint-Émilion classification for decades, and the fill sits between very top shoulder and base of neck, which after fifty-one years is genuinely good.
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Producer: Château Cheval Blanc
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Vintage: 1975
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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. One of the bottles here most likely to still be alive, with a fill to match, though no wine of this age carries a guarantee.
Who it suits. The bottle for a fifty-first birthday that has to be the gift of the day — the first growth of Saint-Émilion, from exactly the right year.
Condition. Barely a mark on the label, and the wine sits between very top shoulder and base of neck, which is an excellent level for 1975.
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.
