Château Cheval Blanc 1951

Château Cheval Blanc

A small harvest, with unsatisfactory ripening and some rot. A vintage best forgotten.

A small harvest, with unsatisfactory ripening and some rot. A vintage best forgotten.

Water balance

1951 WATER BALANCE

The weather this year was clearly not propitious to grape growing. Heavy rains had a very negative influence on ripening. Water stress did not occur because of the huge amount of precipitation in August, at just the time when the vines need a gradual decrease in water to promote concentration in the grapes.

Growing season

The harvest took place extremely late due to the poor weather that did not let up all year. The grapes were harvested in the rain and yields amounted to just 22 hectolitres per hectare. The fruit was mediocre.
The wine had 13° alcohol.

Begin End
1951 harvest dates September, 8th October, 24th
Average harvest dates: 1946-2014 September, 24th October, 8th

 

Features of the vintage

Ripening and yields

1951 yield    (hl/ha) Average yield: 1946 to 2014
22.5 33.9

 

Tasting

The first nose expresses a minty freshness, sustained by red fruits aromas that are still present. After breathing, the aromatic range opens to blonde tobacco, honey, toffee and egg-cream, together with notes of prune and plum.
A small harvest with unsatisfactory ripening means that this vintage is best forgotten. After four years of good weather, it rained throughout the 1951 growing season. The crop was very small and the grapes were markedly underripe. The wine is pale and lacks lustre. The chances of drinking this vintage are almost zero – unless you are Danish, because the entire production was bought by that country’s wine and spirits monopoly.
Tastings
20/07/2015

The first nose expresses a minty freshness, sustained by red fruits aromas that are still present.

After breathing, the aromatic range opens to blonde tobacco, honey, toffee and egg-cream, together with notes of prune and plum.

15/04/2010

A small harvest with unsatisfactory ripening means that this vintage is best forgotten.

After four years of good weather, it rained throughout the 1951 growing season. The crop was very small and the grapes were markedly underripe. The wine is pale and lacks lustre.

The chances of drinking this vintage are almost zero – unless you are Danish, because the entire production was bought by that country’s wine and spirits monopoly.