Château Cheval Blanc
1997 was a difficult vintage hampered by a certain dilution calling for careful sorting of grapes. The wine is nevertheless expressive and without herbaceous aromas.
1997 was a difficult vintage hampered by a certain dilution calling for careful sorting of grapes. The wine is nevertheless expressive and without herbaceous aromas.
Weather conditions and vine’s growing cycle
Temperatures and rainfall
Après After very cold weather the first ten days of January, with temperatures as low as -9°C, late winter and early spring were mild and dry. May was warm and fairly wet. The showers continued into June, accompanied by unseasonably cool temperatures. The rain gradually let up in July, but started up again in August (over 100 mm). It was exceptionally hot in August, along with high humidity. September was beautiful and warm, with very strong insolation. Only 11 mm. of rain fell all month.
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. Due to the significant precipitation in May, June, and August, there was no significant water stress in 1997. This did, however, appear in late September, although part of the crop had already been picked by then.
Growing season
Bud break was exceptionally early: on the 15th of March for Merlot and the 17th of March for Cabernet Franc. Flowering started in the first few days of May and was spread out over a long period due to the unfavourable weather. Mid-flowering was observed on the 19th of May for Merlot and the 22nd of that month for Cabernet Franc. This was three weeks ahead of the usual date. The fact that flowering was very spread out was later reflected in uneven véraison and ripening. Mid-véraison occurred on the 23rd of July for Merlot and the 29th of July for Cabernet Franc.
The heavy rainfall in August led to prolonged vegetative growth, consequently delaying ripening. The uneven degree of maturity called for a very long harvest (21 days at Cheval Blanc). Faithful to the château style and in order to put forward its intrinsic qualities, i.e. fresh fruit and elegant aromatics, Cheval Blanc does not seek overripe grapes.
A few patches of grey rot showed up in August because of the strong humidity. Fortunately, though, these did not spread because of the return of dry weather.
| Phenological stage | Merlot 1997 |
Average 1994-2014 | Cabernet franc 1997 |
Average 1994-2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud break | March, 15th | March, 28th | March, 17th | April, 2nd |
| Flowering | May, 19th | May, 30th | May, 22nd | June, 1st |
| Véraison | July, 23rd | August, 2nd | July, 28th | August, 8th |
| Beginning of the Harvest | September, 3rd | September, 19th | September, 15th | September, 27th |
| End of the Harvest | September, 11th | September, 27th | September, 23th | October, 5th |
| Number of days between … | ||||
| Bud break and Flowering | 66 days | 63 days | 67 days | 60 days |
| Flowering and Véraison | 66 days | 64 days | 68 days | 68 days |
| Véraison and Harvest | 43 days | 48 days | 50 days | 50 days |
Features of the vintage
Ripening and yields
1997 was a hot, wet year. The berries were especially weighty due to the lack of water stress during most of the growth cycle. Ripening was slow because of competition from shoots that grew right up until the beginning of the harvest. Therefore, sugar levels and the concentration of phenolic compounds were low, accompanied by higher-than-average acidity. In fact, the grapes were more affected by a certain dilution than a lack of maturity, as proved by the absence of herbaceous aromas.
It was therefore important in 1997 to control yields, which amounted to 38.8 hectolitres per hectare at Cheval Blanc. Sorting was severe since only 44% of the crop ended up in the grand vin.
| 1997 yields (hl/ha) | Average from 1996 to 2014 | |
| Merlot | 38.0 | 38.9 |
| Cabernet franc | 37.4 | 34.2 |
Cellar work
Consisting of 1% press wine, 1997 Petit Cheval was aged in 100% new oak barrels.
Blending
The proportion of Cabernet Franc was high (72%) in 1997 Petit Cheval, whereas Cheval Blanc had a correspondingly high percentage of Merlot (83%).
| Degree of alcohol | 12 |
|---|---|
| Total acidity (g H2 S04/L) | 3.36 |
| Volatile acidity (g H2 SO4/L) | 0.55 |
| pH | – |
| Total SO2 (mg/L) | 108 |
| educing sugar content (g/L) | 1.0 |
| IPT (DO280) | – |
Tasting
This vintage of Petit Cheval has aged nicely and the wine is delicious despite the difficult weather. The Cabernet Franc that makes up a large percentage of the final blend was successful. The wine is developing nicely and is proving to be quite tasty.
The very attractive medium-deep colour is just starting to show some age.
The intense, elegant nose is still marked by oak and features roasted aromas of toasted almonds and vanilla. Forest floor notes appear with aeration.
The wine starts out quite smooth and goes on to reveal lovely cherry flavours. The medium-long aftertaste shows vivaciousness.
The sizeable proportion of Cabernet Franc gives this Petit Cheval the ability to age elegantly, while retaining it fruit, body, and structure.This vintage of Petit Cheval has aged nicely and the wine is delicious despite the difficult weather. The Cabernet Franc that makes up a large percentage of the final blend was successful. The wine is developing nicely and is proving to be quite tasty.
The very attractive medium-deep colour is just starting to show some age.
The intense, elegant nose is still marked by oak and features roasted aromas of toasted almonds and vanilla. Forest floor notes appear with aeration.
The wine starts out quite smooth and goes on to reveal lovely cherry flavours. The medium-long aftertaste shows vivaciousness.
The sizeable proportion of Cabernet Franc gives this Petit Cheval the ability to age elegantly, while retaining it fruit, body, and structure.