Château Cheval Blanc 1947

Château Cheval Blanc 1947is not a wine in the classic sense. It is an original creature of nature, a happy accident of history. Often described by connoisseurs as the greatest Cheval Blanc of the 20th century, this wine is a paradoxical genius that defies all the rules of oenology. At a time when France was still suffering from the after-effects of the war, a wine of almost mythical power and unrivalled richness was created.

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🏛️ Introduction: A godlike whim of nature

The summer of 1947 was exceptionally hot; the vines enjoyed almost uninterrupted, perfect weather from April to October. The harvest began on 15 September at over 35 °C, two weeks earlier than usual. Under these almost tropical conditions, the grapes reached sugar levels that were almost impossible to control without modern cooling techniques. The cellar masters at the time, Gaston Vaissière and Jacques Fourcaud-Laussac, thus created a wine that, with 14.4% alcohol, high volatile acidity and a residual sugar of around 10 g per litre, must have seemed almost absurd by conventional Bordeaux standards. Today, this masterpiece is described as "port-like" and "opulent" - a style that no modern winemaker would aspire to.

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👃 Wine description & flavours: A bouquet of superlatives

Depending on the bottle, the wine has an astonishingly vibrant ruby red colour with a hint of garnet at the edge or darker, almost impenetrable nuances. Looking at the notes that have been handed down, a multi-faceted picture emerges:

The bouquet is overwhelming: from fruit cake, dark chocolate, fine leather and coffee to exotic Asian spices. Intense notes of ripe plums, blackberries macerated with alcohol and a surprisingly fresh mint are often added. Some bottles are also dominated by cherry flavours, cedar wood, tobacco and earthy notes.

The texture of the wine is its most famous feature: viscous, oily, almost syrupy. It resembles heavy motor oil, has an almost unnatural density and coats the palate with a creamy sweetness reminiscent of young port wine. However, the sweet flavours of dark berries, mocha and vanilla are interspersed with an astonishingly fresh acidity that lends the massive body an elegant balance. The tannin is still present, but chewy and noble. The extremely long finish echoes with notes of coffee grounds, liquorice and soy sauce.

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📝 The critics' ratings: a confirmation of the legend

The following table summarises some of the highest ratings for this legendary wine:

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🍽️ Food recommendation

A wine of this power and exoticism deserves an equally sophisticated accompaniment. The official website of Château Cheval Blanc recommends avoiding intense ingredients such as eggs, tomatoes or citrus fruits and instead opting for high-quality dishes. Ideal are:

• Beef and game dishes: grilled fillet of beef, leg of lamb or saddle of venison harmonise perfectly with the strong flavours.

• Classic poultry: roast pigeon, duck or guinea fowl.

• Matured cheese: A creamy Brillat-Savarin or a nutty, matured Mimolette hard cheese.

• Serving temperature: Enjoy at around 16 °C.

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🎁 Price & availability

• Standard bottle (750 ml): A Château bottling can cost €10,900 or more, a Vandermeulen bottling around €4,750. Prices vary greatly depending on origin and condition.

• Auction prices: A single bottle was $sold$ at Christie's in London in June 2024 for around $\mathrm{15,111}\ast$ ∗[reference:34][reference:35].A pair of bottles changed hands$in\; February2024f$ u¨r∗$\ast 16$,605.

• Rarities: A 6-litre imperial bottle achieved the breathtaking price of £192,000 at Christie's in Geneva .

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⏳ Drinking window & availability

The remaining bottles, stored in their original condition, are extremely rare. The château itself only has 16 bottlesleft , which will never leave the owner. The ideal time to drink this wine is now, as some examples are showing the first signs of ageing and losing vigour in the glass. Waiting would be a high risk.

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👑 Vandermeulen vs. Château bottling: a crucial nuance

A critical nuance in the history of the 1947 Cheval Blanc is the distinction between the château bottling and the bottling by the Belgian wine merchant Vandermeulen.

The Château bottling is considered to be the more powerful, concentrated and denser version, which established the wine's legendary reputation. The Vandermeulen bottling, on the other hand, is often described as slightly sweeter, with a softer, more mature character that can also achieve the highest quality, although critics note that the Vandermeulen bottles, although initially very reliable, can now be subject to greater fluctuations.

The table shows a comparison of the most common characteristics of both bottlings:

The decision as to which bottling is the "better" one depends heavily on the condition of the individual bottle and the drinker's personal taste. In case of doubt, the Château bottling is the safer bet, while the Vandermeulen version can offer an unforgettable experience if the provenance is perfect.

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💎 Conclusion: A myth through the ages

Château Cheval Blanc 1947is much more than a wine; it is a chapter in the history of winegrowing. It is proof that the greatest masterpieces are often born out of necessity and chaos, not perfection. It is a wine of contradictions, a delicate balance between technical "flaw" and olfactory perfection.

Nevertheless, even its greatest admirers urge caution. Time also leaves its mark on a legend, and the risk of counterfeiting is real. Anyone chasing this myth should only do so with bottles of absolutely flawless origin.

However, opening a perfect specimen is more than just a tasting. It is a journey to a bygone era, an immersion in a supernatural flavour experience that often defies words.

One of the 47 wine legends is Cheval Blanc. This wine has been fully drinkable since the early 1950s and has been causing a stir ever since with its lush, port-like character. Unfortunately, there are now not only too many over-travelled bottles and masses of counterfeits. Cheval Blanc is also beginning to weaken in all bottles that have not been stored in ONE cellar for a long time. My best bottles were a 1992 Vandermeulen bottling - incredibly deep, powerful colour, more reminiscent of an 82 than a 45-year-old wine. Thick, fleshy, reminiscent of port, very long and another class better than the already top-rated 47 Margaux 100/100 - and a perfect chateau bottling at our century tasting in 1993. After that came numerous magnums, for which I simply lack the faith, except for one in 1997 at a large tasting for the 50th birthday of a wine friend, restrained nose, like my VDM's porty on the palate, very strong colour, dense, concentrated, not the class of earlier Cheval 47s, but certainly more honest - 96/100. Even in the otherwise very reliable Vandermeulen versions, Cheval Blanc is no longer always what it used to be. So before you run after a myth for a lot of money in vain: Only buy Cheval Blanc in really very good condition from impeccable origins. How nice when the exception proves the rule, as was the case in 2006 at the big Cheval Blanc tasting at the Stromburg. a perfect Vandermeulen bottling that showed no weakness whatsoever. This was an incredible wine giant, perfectly matured and on point with pure coffee, infinite, silky elegance, powerful aromas and incredible length on the palate. No matter what superlatives you use to describe it, words can hardly do justice to this grandiose experience. Of course, easily 100/100, I would never have thought that I would be able to experience 47 Cheval Blanc in this form again. And then in 2007, a perfect chateau bottling went one better. It has been in Müller's cellar for over 25 years. Still an impenetrable killer colour. The finest port wine on the nose, some mint, tea, herbs, fullness, a crazy nose game, also on the palate porty without end, very sweet, unbelievably intense, powerful, never ending on the palate. It is difficult to find the right words to describe this monument. But in the form in which this chateau bottling presented itself here, this is one of, if not the highlight in the life of a wine drinker - 100/100 without ifs and buts. Then, in summer 2007, a Belgian retailer bottling that cannot be identified more closely. It could not compete with the chateau bottling that I had enjoyed 4 months earlier at Jörg Müller. This was a complete, great wine, but it was very Medoc-like and lacked the porty richness and hedonistic decadence of the Chateau bottling - 96/100. In autumn 2007, at a large tasting, there was unfortunately an obviously faked magnum and two rather dubious Vandermeulen bottles. Most recently in 2008 at René Gabriel's large Cheval tasting, an authentic, immortally beautiful bottle, 100/100 with no ifs or buts (source: wineterminator.com Dr Becker).