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  • Country ranking ?

    504
  • Producer ranking ?

    25
  • Decanting time

    1h
  • When to drink

    now to 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Slow-roast shoulder of lamb

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The Story

Whether by design or by pure chance, there are in the world exceptional places. Cheval Blanc is one of these. Combining a unique soil with a symbiotic mix of grape varieties, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, Cheval Blanc produces a wine, which has the rare quality of being good at any age. It is without doubt one of the most consistent wines in the world. Cheval Blanc's unique identity is due to its varied soils, early-ripening microclimate, the per...

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Wine Information

1948 is a very good year marked by a drought conditions. The wine is atypical because it is very tannic – which is relatively rare for Cheval Blanc. It is perfectly balanced and incredibly young for a wine nearly seventy years old.The harvest began on the 27th of September after an extremely dry growing season that accounts for this beautiful vintage. The heat led to small, thick-skinned grapes with ink-black juice.

1948 Cheval Blanc was ve...

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Vintage 1948

Bordeaux 1948: a fine vintage which had the misfortune of being located between two legendary vintages.

Weather Conditions: The weather conditions in Bordeaux during the 1948 growing season were challenging. The year began with a cold winter, followed by a late spring and a rather wet early summer. These conditions delayed budbreak and flowering, which in turn affected grape ripening. However, the weather improved in late summer, with a war...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Brick red

flavors

Earthy

taste

Low in Acidity and Medium tannin

Written Notes

The 1948 Cheval Blanc may well constitute the most unheralded legendary wine of the 20th century, in no small part because it precedes the 1947. However, after years of several mavens lionizing this vintage and after one impressive but not convincing bottle, I encountered a 1948 Cheval Blanc that frankly, blew me away. This third bottle originates from the same source as that and mirrors its performance. Deep and lucid in color, it has a quite astonishing bouquet that is high-toned and decadent: kirsch, blueberry and a hint of liquorice, all beautifully defined. But it is the power that knocks you sideways. The palate is exquisitely balanced with supple tannin, velvety in texture with a multi-layered smorgasbord of glistening red fruit towards the finish – wild strawberry, Morello cherry, and cranberry all mixed with subtle ferrous and tobacco notes. It is a wondrous Saint-Émilion that I would dearly love to compare with the 1947 one day! Tasted at a private dinner in London.

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Information

Origin

St. Emilion, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

Serious

Inside Information

The very ripe nose exhales fine aromas of plum and kernel-fruit, and complex aromas of hay and tobacco.
The freshness that emerges from this first nose then persists while the wine is becoming fuller, with rich and delicious flavors of pastry, macaroons and almond, but also fireplace, smoke and currants, giving this wine a rare olfactory richness and complexity.

In the mouth, the remarkable balance of richness and freshness is always present. Good acidity gives this great wine racy elegance and exceptional length. Fat, ample and delicious, the flavors include strawberry jam, raspberry coulis and warm milk. 

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