Château Cheval Blanc 1979 – Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A

Château Cheval Blanc 1979 is not just a wine – it’s a living piece of Bordeaux history. A rare and mature vintage from one of the world’s most legendary châteaux, created for collectors, connoisseurs and wine lovers seeking classic French elegance with depth, finesse and soul. Here you experience Saint-Émilion at the highest level, where time, terroir and craftsmanship are fused in perfect balance.

The 1979 vintage stands out today with a beautiful ripeness, but also with a remarkable freshness that only the great wines manage to maintain over decades. Cheval Blanc’s unique location – on the border between Saint-Émilion and Pomerol – gives the wine its characteristic softness combined with structure and complexity.

A unique terroir – the foundation for greatness

The wine is composed of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, an unusually high content of Cabernet Franc for Bordeaux, but this is Cheval Blanc’s signature. The grapes come from an exceptional terroir of silico-clayey gravelly soil with sand and blue clay in the subsoil – a rare combination that provides finesse, aromatic complexity and ageing potential.

All grapes are harvested by hand and the work in the field is done with great respect for nature. Today, the fields are farmed organically and in transition to agroecological principles – a philosophy that builds on centuries of tradition of quality over quantity.

Tasting notes

Color: Deep ruby with elegant garnet nuances – beautifully ripe but still vibrant.

Aroma: Complex and refined nose with ripe dark berries, violets, dried flowers, truffle and cedar. Fine notes of tobacco and lightly toasted oak testify to the wine’s long evolution.

Taste: Full-bodied and harmonious with silky tannins. Blackcurrant, cherry and plum blend with herbs and subtle spices in an elegant, balanced expression.

Finish: Long, persistent and highly refined – classic Cheval Blanc with great complexity and grace.

The history of the house

Château Cheval Blanc was founded in 1832 when Jean-Jacques Ducasse purchased vineyards that previously belonged to Château Figeac. Early on, the château was recognized for its exceptional terroir and its different grape composition, with Cabernet Franc playing a leading role.

As early as 1878, Cheval Blanc received international recognition with a gold medal at the Paris World’s Fair, and in 1954 the château was honored with the highest classification in Saint-Émilion: Premier Grand Cru Classé A.

In 1998, Bernard Arnault and Albert Frère took over ownership and reinvigorated the château with new energy and investment. Under the leadership of Pierre Lurton and with the opening of an iconic modern winery in 2011 – designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc – Cheval Blanc today is a perfect blend of tradition and innovation. Owned today by the LVMH Group, the château continues to be a reference point for the world’s best wines.

Product information

• Type: Red wine
• Origin: Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
• Vintage: 1979
• Classification: Premier Grand Cru Classé A
• Grapes: 60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot
• Winery: Château Cheval Blanc
• Quantity: 75 cl.
• Alcohol content: 13%
• Contains: Sulfites