Château Cheval Blanc 2025
St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé
Bordeaux, France
Regular price£2,010.00
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Arriving: Mid 2028
Shipping duty paid to Mainland UK is charged at a flat rate of £9.99 per consignment and POA for Northern Ireland or Islands.
Shipping under bond is dependant on location, but starts at £15 per consignment.
| Style: Red | Packaging: |
| ABV: 12.7% | Closure: Cork |
| Organic: No | Drink from: 2040 |
| Biodynamic: No | Drink to: 2060 |
| Grapes: 51% Merlot; 45% Cabernet Franc; 4% Cabernet Sauvignon | |
Critic scores
98-100 RP, 95-97 NM, 96-99 AG, 97-98 JS, 96-98 LPB, 96 JA, 98 DC, 98-100 DB, 97 GM
Critic reviews
"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."
William Kelley, April 2026, RobertParker.com
"The 2025 Cheval Blanc includes all 47 plots on the estate except one that was sold off. This nose is more immediate than some of its neighbours, a mixture of blackcurrant, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry, very expressive, underneath which lie tobacco and graphite scents. It is open, nothing hidden here. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red berry fruit, just a touch of black pepper, a more reserved and structured Cheval Blanc than usual, vertical in style, the Cabernet Franc driving the finish. Not what I would call a sensual Cheval Blanc, but it has a distinctive character. Not everyone is going to fall head over heels for this Cheval Blanc because it is uncompromising, and I like that. Just be patient. This will need time."
Neal Martin, May 2026, Vinous.com
"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. In one tasting, Cheval Blanc was massively tannic; in a second tasting, those tannins were much more seamless, highlighting how differently wines can show from day to day. In the case of Cheval Blanc, en primeur samples are mini-bottlings, and both samples I tasted came from the same batch."
Antonio Galloni, April 2026, Vinous.com
"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."
James Suckling, April 2026, JamesSuckling.com
"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."
Jane Anson, April 2026, JaneAnson.com
"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."
Georgina Hindle, April 2026, Decanter.com
"(Saint-Émilion; 51% Merlot; 45% Cabernet Franc; 4% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 15 hl/ha; pH 3.76; 12.7% alcohol; tasted with Pierre Olivier Clouet at Cheval Blanc). Cheval Blanc suffered the longest sustained period without rainfall in its history. The wine comes from the smallest ever grapes harvested here (c. 1.1g per grape for the Merlot, 0.6g for the Cabernet Franc). 2 kg for a fruit were required for each litre of wine produced, around twice the norm. 46 of the 47 parcels were used in the grand vin after drastic measures to reduce the potential yields, above all on gravel. Despite all of that we have a wine of striking poise and staggering harmony. Black cherry, mulberry, black berry, cassis, graphite and a touch of cedar. Peony blooms. Rose petals and rose blooms. Peppercorns freshly crushed. A wild heather note, thyme and a little rosemary. Classical, if subtle, cedar notes, with more graphite and pencil shavings on aeration. This is very dark and composed, cool - almost plungepool cool - at the core with that incredibly vivid and utterly beautiful violet florality that seems to radiate outwards from the centre of the wine. So complete, so harmonious, so elegant and so perfectly integrated. A wine of perfect harmony. The sublimation of Cheval Blanc and a reward for the investment in the vineyard. This is a wine of shimmering beauty today and of ageless potential for tomorrow. It is radiant and that radiance seems to flow from the Cabernet Franc core of the mid-palate, like the explosion of a firework of freshness captured in slow motion."
Colin Hay, May 2026, DrinksBusiness.com
William Kelley, April 2026, RobertParker.com
"The 2025 Cheval Blanc includes all 47 plots on the estate except one that was sold off. This nose is more immediate than some of its neighbours, a mixture of blackcurrant, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry, very expressive, underneath which lie tobacco and graphite scents. It is open, nothing hidden here. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red berry fruit, just a touch of black pepper, a more reserved and structured Cheval Blanc than usual, vertical in style, the Cabernet Franc driving the finish. Not what I would call a sensual Cheval Blanc, but it has a distinctive character. Not everyone is going to fall head over heels for this Cheval Blanc because it is uncompromising, and I like that. Just be patient. This will need time."
Neal Martin, May 2026, Vinous.com
"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. In one tasting, Cheval Blanc was massively tannic; in a second tasting, those tannins were much more seamless, highlighting how differently wines can show from day to day. In the case of Cheval Blanc, en primeur samples are mini-bottlings, and both samples I tasted came from the same batch."
Antonio Galloni, April 2026, Vinous.com
"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."
James Suckling, April 2026, JamesSuckling.com
"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."
Jane Anson, April 2026, JaneAnson.com
"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."
Georgina Hindle, April 2026, Decanter.com
"(Saint-Émilion; 51% Merlot; 45% Cabernet Franc; 4% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 15 hl/ha; pH 3.76; 12.7% alcohol; tasted with Pierre Olivier Clouet at Cheval Blanc). Cheval Blanc suffered the longest sustained period without rainfall in its history. The wine comes from the smallest ever grapes harvested here (c. 1.1g per grape for the Merlot, 0.6g for the Cabernet Franc). 2 kg for a fruit were required for each litre of wine produced, around twice the norm. 46 of the 47 parcels were used in the grand vin after drastic measures to reduce the potential yields, above all on gravel. Despite all of that we have a wine of striking poise and staggering harmony. Black cherry, mulberry, black berry, cassis, graphite and a touch of cedar. Peony blooms. Rose petals and rose blooms. Peppercorns freshly crushed. A wild heather note, thyme and a little rosemary. Classical, if subtle, cedar notes, with more graphite and pencil shavings on aeration. This is very dark and composed, cool - almost plungepool cool - at the core with that incredibly vivid and utterly beautiful violet florality that seems to radiate outwards from the centre of the wine. So complete, so harmonious, so elegant and so perfectly integrated. A wine of perfect harmony. The sublimation of Cheval Blanc and a reward for the investment in the vineyard. This is a wine of shimmering beauty today and of ageless potential for tomorrow. It is radiant and that radiance seems to flow from the Cabernet Franc core of the mid-palate, like the explosion of a firework of freshness captured in slow motion."
Colin Hay, May 2026, DrinksBusiness.com