Chateau Cheval Blanc 2025

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.

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.

One of the lowest yields of Cheval Blanc ever at just 15hl/ha with no Petit Cheval made this year. Chinese five spice, cedar, cinnamon, rose buds, soy, purple flowers, blackcurrants and cherries on the nose. Supple and fleshy, round and enveloping yet softly chalky so you get weight but not massive density in the glass. Tannins are wonderful and the power comes underneath not at the fore. Suave, fresh and floats along the palate – generous yet reined in, glossy, bright with lovely acidity. Almost a bit shy and quiet but so well controlled. I love it for its delicacy and hands-off approach. Definitely not a showstopper but given the conditions it’s incredible how they ended up here. Complex, charming, soft, pretty and delicious without trying too hard at all. 3.76pH.

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... 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. (AG)

51% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. 15 hl/ha. Cask sample.

Dark fruit (blueberry, blackcurrant) and floral notes. Ethereal and lifted with a sublime texture of fruit and tannin. Huge volume of tannin but sculpted and refined. Long finish. Considerable ageing potential. (JL)

Of all the wines I tasted in the 2025 En Primeur season, this is the one that I have thought about the most. The lowest ever yield at 15hl/ha yield, close to 1961 in terms of volume. There were tiny berries, barely scraping 1g even for the Merlots, even after dropping 10-50% of the grapes even on young vines to minimise water stress. Visually beautiful, deep plum colour, intense, slate, graphite, this has a construction that is clear, muscle, sinew, carved tannins, going long on campfire, chamomile, bitter chocolate, incense, anis, cassis, mint leaf, eucalyptus, crushed rocks, savoury broth. This forces you to project forward - if we are lucky enough to be pulling a bottle out of a cellar in 2060, this Cheval will still be powering along. The honest truth is that I can't tell you with 100% certainly how long it will take to get to its full drinking window. I have not seen a young Cheval with this kind of construction, and I am erring on the side of caution in this note, hoping that it will be more readable in bottle. Stunning and impressive, but I have not yet fallen in love. No Petit Cheval. Harvest September 1 to 18. 3.76ph. Pierre Olivier Clouet director.

Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Intense black forest berries, a hint of juniper, herbs and tobacco, blueberries, candied mandarin zest, very multi-faceted bouquet. Full-bodied, highly elegant, ripe heart cherries, finesse-rich structure, seamless, perfect tannins, a highly delicate wine with enormous length, immense minerality, designed for a long ageing period, a hint of nougat in the finish, an enormous promise for the future.