Château Cheval Blanc
This warm year with record dry weather was as favourable to Merlot as it was to Cabernet Franc.
This immense wine is elegant and powerful, with a beautiful tannic texture and great length. It will long leave its mark on the history of Château Cheval Blanc.
This warm year with record dry weather was as favourable to Merlot as it was to Cabernet Franc.
This immense wine is elegant and powerful, with a beautiful tannic texture and great length. It will long leave its mark on the history of Château Cheval Blanc.
Weather conditions and vine’s growing cycle
Temperatures and rainfall
2005 was exceptionally dry. Total precipitation from January to September amounted to 344 mm – compared to an average of 572 mm. This was a very warm year, but without a heatwave like in 2003. Temperatures from April to September were 1.7°C above seasonal averages. These conditions were very favourable to vine growth and ripening. The weather was dry, with average temperatures.
Water balance
In order to grow well, the vine needs for water stress to set in slowly so the grapes to ripen well and become concentrated. This was the case in 2005, and the vines were able to adapt gradually. In addition, the two previous growing seasons had also been dry, so the root systems had coped by sinking deeper into the soil. Despite the historically dry conditions, there was little loss of leaves. This situation also led to an early stop to vegetative growth and limited the size of berries. These were exceptionally small, a sure sign of concentration.
Growing season
Mid-véraison took place on the 31st of July for Merlot and the 6th of August for Cabernet Franc, which made 2005 an early year despite late bud break compared to the preceding 10-year average. The fact that vine growth made up for this delay is essentially due to very high temperatures in June (+ 3.5°C above average). Flowering and véraison were quick and even. The harvest began on the 12th of September. The fine weather in September meant that picking could wait for Cabernet Franc to reach optimum ripeness. The harvest took 16 days and ended on the 27th of September.
| Phenological stage | Merlot 2005 |
Average 1994-2014 | Cabernet franc 2005 |
Average 1994-2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud break | April, 5th | March, 28th | April, 9th | April, 2nd |
| Flowering | May, 29th | May, 30th | May, 31st | June, 1st |
| Véraison | July, 30th | August, 2nd | August, 6th | August, 8th |
| Beginning of the Harvest | September, 12th | September, 19th | September, 21st | September, 27th |
| End of the Harvest | September, 16th | September, 27th | September, 27th | October, 5th |
| Number of days between… | ||||
| Bud break and Flowering | 56 days | 63 days | 53 days | 60 days |
| Flowering and Véraison | 63 days | 64 days | 69 days | 68 days |
| Véraison and Harvest | 44 days | 48 days | 46 days | 50 days |
There was extremely little oidium and mildew this year. The potential yield was quite high, so bunch thinning was done systematically in order to produce a very great vintage. This work in the vineyard, combined with outstandingly fine weather, produced superb grapes.
Features of the vintage
Ripening and yields
The composition of these ripe grapes was outstanding and the sugar level was unprecedented. Acidity was on the low side, but not excessively so. The fruit was ripe but not overly so, or candied, which happens sometimes in very hot years. For the above reasons, the wine’s high alcoholic degree was not an impediment to quality. The grapes had a high concentration of phenolic compounds and very ripe tannin.
The 2005 vintage was exceptionally fine in Bordeaux in general and at Cheval Blanc in particular. In fact, all dry years (1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2009, and 2010) are great ones in Bordeaux – and 2005, the driest on record, confirms the rule. Both Merlot and Cabernet Franc were very successful. 2005 Cheval Blanc is rich, perfectly balanced, and shows great freshness.
| 2005 yields (hl/ha) | Average from 1996 to 2014 | |
| Merlot | 45.5 | 38.9 |
| Cabernet Franc | 40.0 | 34.2 |
Cellar work
Maceration varied from 19-26 days. The blend contained 5% of press wine. One percent of the wine was bled off from fermentation vats, and there was no chaptalisation whatsoever. Ageing took place in 100% new oak barrels for 16-17 months.
Blending
| Degree of alcohol | 14 |
|---|---|
| Total acidity (g H2 S04/L) | 3.1 |
| Volatile acidity (g H2 SO4/L) | 0.57 |
| pH | 3.92 |
| Total SO2 (mg/L) | 94 |
| Reducing sugar content (g/L) | 1.3 |
| IPT (DO280) | 79 |
Tasting
The weather this year was ideal and brought together all the necessary qualities of a great vintage. This was the driest growing season ever recorded in Saint Emilion. It also confirms that dry years make for outstanding vintages in Bordeaux.
The colour is exceptionally deep, dark, and intense.
The nose is rich, with ripe black fruit aromas.
In fact, this wine is rich in every respect. It shows concentrated black fruit on the palate, as well as a beautiful tannic texture – the sign of great Cabernet Franc. The aftertaste is tremendously long and generous – the sign of an outstanding year.
Marked by Cabernet Franc in superb condition contributing elegance and complexity, this vintage also features power and richness of similarly successful Merlot grapes. The extraordinary length is indicative a wine that will last for several generations.The weather this year was ideal and brought together all the necessary qualities of a great vintage. This was the driest growing season ever recorded in Saint Emilion. It also confirms that dry years make for outstanding vintages in Bordeaux.
The colour is exceptionally deep, dark, and intense.
The nose is rich, with ripe black fruit aromas.
In fact, this wine is rich in every respect. It shows concentrated black fruit on the palate, as well as a beautiful tannic texture – the sign of great Cabernet Franc. The aftertaste is tremendously long and generous – the sign of an outstanding year.
Marked by Cabernet Franc in superb condition contributing elegance and complexity, this vintage also features power and richness of similarly successful Merlot grapes. The extraordinary length is indicative a wine that will last for several generations.