Cheval Blanc

Large Bottle of Cheval Blanc Sets New Auction Record

Filed under: Wine

A massive imperial-size bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 has set a new world record for a single bottle sold at auction. The bottle (which hold the equivalent of eight standard sized bottles) was found in the secret cellar of a wine collector.

It sold for $304,580 on Tuesday at the fine wine auction at Christie's in Geneva. Just last month the record for the most expensive wine bottle had been set in Hong Kong when three bottles of Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 sold at a Hong Kong auction by Sotheby's for an astounding hammer price of $232,692 a bottle (the Lafite-Rothschild is still the champ if you are measuring price per milliliter).

[via IB Times]

Tags: bordeaux, cheval blanc, christies, imperial bottle, most expensive, most expensive wine, wine auction

LVMH to Open New Luxury Hotels

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

cheval blanc hotel
Luxury Goods conglomerate LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton, plans to open a series of new luxury hotels starting in Oman and Egypt. The hotels will incorporate LVMH brands such as Vuitton and Dior boutiques and Givenchy spas. The company has created LVMH Hotel Management to "oversee the group's activities in the luxury hotel sector" and "maximize the value of its brands". The two new hotels, named Cheval Blanc after one of LVMH's famed Bordeaux vineyards, are slated to open in 2012. The move follows the successful 2006 opening of the LVMH-backed Cheval Blanc hotel in Courchevel, France (above). The Maison Cheval Blanc in Oman is sited on the 11 square- kilometer island of Al Sodah and will include 32 private villas. The development in Egypt is on the private island of Amoun in Aswan and will include about 40 suites overlooking the Nile. LVMH notes that "other projects are currently under study in exceptional destinations". The company won't own the real estate or finance construction, but will instead run the resorts under management contract.

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Tags: Cheval Blanc, Courchevel, Dior, Egypt, Givenchy, hotel, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, Nile, Oman

La Tour D'Argent Wines Up For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

An AP story doesn't make it sound too appetizing (old wine bottles covered in black fungus anyone?) but the upcoming auction of wine bottles from the Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris, France has oenophiles very excited. The restaurant, a landmark that traces its history all the way back to 1582, has a 450,000-bottle cellar and is selling 18,000 bottles at an auction in December. The auction through French auctioneer Piasa will include everything from modest 10-euro bottles of wine to those fungus-covered bottles of 1875 Armagnac Vieux (estimated at 400-500 euros) and other notable oldies.

The restaurant is paring down on its bottles and wants to modernize. Some of the usual suspects at fine wine auctions including vintages from Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Cheval Blanc and Chateau Margaux will also be up for sale and the grand total is expected to be over one million euros. The provenance of the bottles may also be a selling factor not just because the integrity of the bottles, which were bought directly from vinters, can be assured but also because the bottles bear the restaurant's insignia, the famous tower.

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Tags: cheval blanc, ChevalBlanc, fine wine, FineWine, tour dargent, TourDargent, wine, wine auction, WineAuction

Chateau Cheval Blanc Goes For Broke With Wallet-Busting Prices

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Is the time when everyone is dropping prices the moment you should raise yours? The team behind the Chateau Cheval Blanc 2008 seems to think so. Decanter reports that the wine has gone on sale for around £3,500 a case far above the First Growths. Even the always-pricey Lafite Rothschild is hovering around the £2000 mark. The other Bordeaux have also been out a while, so basically Cheval Blanc released at double the price of the top wines. Admittedly, the Chateau Cheval Blanc is one of the best "brand names" in French wine and it did get 97 points from Robert Parker. Still, the price seems extreme. The Decanter article suggests that pricing the wine high was a way to position it as a super-luxury product on par with Ausone or Petrus. This seems to imply that the luxury wine consumer is thinking with his wallet and not his palate. Is raising the price the only way to let the public know that a chateau has a good vintage on its hands?

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Tags: bordeaux, chateau cheval blanc, ChateauChevalBlanc, cheval blanc, ChevalBlanc, wine

Cheval des Andes 2005 Launched In London

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Cheval des Andes winemaker Nicolas Audebert found an interesting way to launch the 2005 vintage of Cheval des Andes – the joint venture between Cheval Blanc's Pierre Lurton and Terrazas de los Andes. He appeared at the Ham Polo Club in south west London atop an Argentine polo pony to play polo with some local wine industry professionals. And it wasn't just a stunt, there does happen to be a polo pitch at Terrazas de los Andes.

The Cheval des Andes is a blend of 50% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot s from Terrazas de los Andes' Las Compuertas vineyard located in Mendoza. The fruit of two vines go into each of the limited number of bottles produced. The wine has undergone five weeks of maceration and 18 months French oak barrel ageing resulting in a Bordeaux style with the beefy exuberance of Argentine grapes.

Audebert, who was born in Bordeaux, works with Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc and Château d'Yquem to combine Argentine terroir with French wine knowledge.Terrazas de los Andes is owned by luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. The Cheval des Andes 2005 sells for $69.99 on Wine.com.

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Tags: argentina, cheval blanc, nicolas audebert, NicolasAudebert, wine

Hotel Le Cheval Blanc To Open in December

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

For the dedicated snow bunnies, the second there is a nip in the fall air it is time to think about skiing. Online ski magazine First Tracks covers what might be one of the poshest options for your winter getaway. The new Hotel Le Cheval Blanc in the elite resort town of Courchevel 1850 in France is set to open this December. The hotel is owned by Bernard Arnault, the CEO of the luxury conglomerate LVMH and is set to open this November. The 34-room hotel offers only luxury suites, two private chalets and penthouses and you can ski straight from your door. It will also be home to a Givenchy spa and Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior boutiques.The resort already has a waiting list.

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Tags: cheval blanc, ChevalBlanc, courcheval 1850, france, ski, travel

Christie's Los Angeles Wine Events

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wine, Events

Wine lovers in Los Angeles can experience a rare trio of treats this week courtesy of Christie's. Not only will there be a summer wine sale that includes the contents of the sale of a wealthy wine collector whose treasures include 1947 half bottles of Cheval Blanc, 1945 Palmer and a comprehensive Diamond Creek Vertical from 1972-2001 but there is also a special wine dinner at Spago. The sale is on June 24 in Beverly Hills and the Diamond Creek Dinner at Spago is on June 22. Tickets cost $350. For $75 you can attend a pre-sale tasting on June 23 that will feature a selection of wines donated by the wine sellers.

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Tags: cheval blanc, christie's, diamond creek, spago, wine, wine auction, WineAuction

Sotheby's Wine Sale Offers Vintage Ports

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Sotheby's wine sale on February 22 in London offers a chance to pick up the usual Petrus, Cheval Blancs and Latours but also offers some vintage ports including Croft 1966, Warre's 1970, Graham's 1975 and Taylor's 1977. The sale also includes rare and mature Claret recently removed from a private London residence including Château La Mission Haut Brion 1945 in magnum , Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 in double magnum and First Growths from the 1934 vintage. And though there isn't a Sauternes as old as the one that sold for $90,000 last week you can pick up a 1941 for a very reasonable $340-$520.

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Tags: chateau latour, cheval blanc, port, sauternes, wine