Château Cheval Blanc 1947

This 1947 red wine for sale is a famed “accident of nature” that doesn’t at all conform to the model of fine Bordeaux of its era.

It was also made against the odds.

France was still recovering from the Second World War, the Nazis having plundered the country over four years of occupation.

Cellars were bare, barrels were old and scarce, even finding fresh hoops to replace rusty ones was a challenge and even basics such as bottles, corks and labels were in short supply.

Apart from 1976, this was the hottest year in half a century.

It was so dry that water was rationed in the Gironde and swarms of locusts came to Bordeaux.

The most famous wine of the vintage was Cheval Blanc, where exceptional sweet richness and 14.1° covered up the volatile acidity that ruined many others.

Many tasters consider the 1947 vintage a miraculous vintage – the greatest Cheval Blanc of the 20th century.

It offers both very powerful and extremely well-balanced qualities.

Many tasters consider this wine totally extraordinary and unique due to its high percentage of alcohol (14.1%), combined with some residual sugar (3 grams per litre).

Despite its age, it remains in spectacular form and utterly fascinating.

The abnormally hot and dry conditions in 1947 produced very concentrated grapes.

The estate began harvesting on the 15th of September – two weeks before the usual date.

They finished on 4th October.

The sweet juice combined with hot weather during the harvest made fermentation difficult.

The team used huge blocks of ice to cool down the cellar.

During this post-war period, the estate did not have access to new barrels, so they used ones 5-10 years old instead.

You can find  this legendary 1947 red wine for sale at award-winning Arden Fine Wines in London.