Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval Blanc: A Tale of

   1488  
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 was silent on the wines of St. Emilion and Pomerol, probably for reasons of commercial jealousy. The wine merchants of the Medoc controlled the selection of wines that were classified for the 1855 exposition in Paris. They were not about to give equal consideration to their rivals from across the Gironde River. Fast-forward a century. Now, St. Emilion has its own classification, and at the top of the list of Premier Grands Crus Classes are two wines in their own subcategory: Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval Blanc. They could not be more different, by style or flavor, and they could not be farther from each other and still be St. Emilion wines. But they are each superior, and Alexis Lichine’s judgment that in a revised 1855 Classification that would rank the thousands of Bordeaux wines by merit, both Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval Blanc would be in the top eight, with Chateau Petrus of neighboring Pomerol, and the five leading wines of the Medoc and the Graves. Chateau Ausone is on the edge of the St. Emilion plain, on a rather steep slope that providentially juts out to the south-east, which provides some protection from winds and rain. (Chateau Berliquet, a fine property and wine that is Ausone’s near neighbor on the plain, faces just the wrong way into the elements, and its very good wines are priced at a fraction of what Ausone commands.) Its soil is poor, of course, and for years, plowing on the slope was done with the indispensable aid of the last horse working the St. Emilion vineyards. Production is minuscule by Bordeaux standards, just 2,000 cases a year. The grapes are 50% merlot and 50% cabernet franc. Mme. Helyette Dubois-Challon characterized her wine to me as “the only artisanal wine of the great wines of Bordeaux,” and I think she had a point. The wine ages well and for many years, and it has a deep, somewhat rough hewn quality, rather like Chateau Haut Brion. In its great years, it is superb, perhaps the best Bordeaux wine. I recall with great pleasure drinking an 1845 Chateau Ausone that the owner served for luncheon during my stay in Bordeaux. It was too old to be decanted, but it was perfectly blended. Furthermore, it was recognizable as an Ausone to anyone who knows the wine. It is that tradition that Chateau Ausone may now be free to maintain. In 1997 Mme. Dubois-Challon, bowing to the pressure of years, offered to sell her half of the property, but her nephew, Monsieur Vauthier, was able to match her price and avert a sale to outsiders. Michel Rolland is the winemaking consultant. Those who admire the wines of Chateau Ausone look forward to more vintages in the property’s long tradition. Chateau Cheval Blanc is located on the plain, several miles away, adjoining Pomerol. The property is 90 acres of a single contiguous block, on essentially clay subsoil with some gravel. Major drainage had to be carried out because of the clay, which seems to be the geological requirement for the best wines of the Pomerol plain. (Chateau Petrus, and Latour a Pomerol are also located on largely clay subsoil.) This is a rich, mouth filling wine of consummate elegance. I remember tasting the 1983 from the cask with owner Jacques Hebrard, enjoying the marvelous flavor of the wine. We wondered if all the hype about the 1982 vintage, which at Chateau Cheval Blanc as elsewhere in the Bordeaux region was excellent, would dull the appreciation given this outstanding wine from 1983. It probably did. Then, the stated grape blend was 66% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot, and 1% Malbec. The blend has now altered somewhat. It is now 57% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot, and 1% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Whether the increase in Merlot in the blend is designed to appeal to those who prefer larger and more obvious fruit tastes is hard to say. The wine will be judged in the longer run, as it ages and matures. In the meantime, the owner’s stated adherence to the elegance of traditional Chateau Cheval Blanc wine is reassuring. The property now produces a second wine, Petit Cheval Blanc, which is expensive at $237 for 6 bottles for the 1999 futures wine, but a bargain compared to the cost of Chteau Cheval Blanc itself. The second wine is aged in oak for 12 months in 50% new barrels, whereas the grand vin is aged for 18 months in 100% new barrels. The property was sold in 1998 to Bernard Arnault, who has bought other quality vineyards including Chateau D’Yquem. The question is whether this gentleman will be as concerned with maintaining the excellence of the wines produced at his new property, as was the family that had owned the property for generations. The venture seems to have started well. As at Chateau D’Yquem, where Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces, the previous owner, has remained to produce the wine, at Chateau Cheval Blanc Pierre Lurton, of the eminent and ubiquitous Bordeaux winemaking clan, is Managing Director. We all hope that should days of economic hardship come to the region, as they cyclically do, the new corporate ownership will be guided by respect for the property rather than the bottom line. Both properties welcome visitors, as do the many other fine properties in the region….
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • ALREADY SUBSCRIBED?
Previous Article Fireworks in the Sand
Next Article Wines of the Medoc: Is the 1855 Classification Out