A perfect bottle for your Ego
Fresh, clear, and well-seasoned perspective on Château Cheval Blanc.
Let’s talk about the wine born in lousy weather, underrated for decades but finally classified as The Most Celebrated Wine of the 20th Century.
The wine we will discuss today made its most iconic appearance in Pixar’s 2006 animated film Ratatouille. For years this masterpiece of animation has been my all-time favorite film about pursuing a dream.
The main protagonist’s story, a little rat named Remi 🐭, has everything: love, friendship, family issues, and ambition. All of that is baken under the heartbreaking story of a great success sauced with the beautiful images of Paris and served with a bottle of …. Château Cheval Blanc 1947 🍷.
What’s the Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc (French for "White Horse Castle") was founded in 1832 when the other well-known Château Figeac sold 15 hectares of their land to the Laussac-Fourcaud family, including the part that reaches a legendary Château Pétrus.1
In 1998, the château was sold to Bernard Arnault, a chairman of the luxury goods group LVMH.2
In 1995, during the Classification of Saint-Émilion wines, Château Cheval Blanc was classified as one of the top-5 wines from that region.3
Iconic product placement in cinematography
Château Cheval Blanc appears in the Ratatouille in the legendary scene featuring Anton Ego ordering a meal in Gusteau’s restaurant. A frightening food critic decides to challenge the chef with an extravagant order.
"A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well-seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?" - says Anton Ego to the waiter.
The character of Ego is cynical, calm, wise, and at the time obsessed with his craft. There was no chance that he would not choose some iconic wine for his exceptional dinner.
"finest bottle of Cheval Blanc, 1947, and hurry please, I have a lot of drinking to do." - Anton Ego
In a film full of insider moments for food lovers, this was a wink to wine hedonists.
The most celebrated wine of the 20th century
1947 was extremely hot in Saint-Émilion. In September of that year, the conditions were almost tropical. When the harvest at Cheval Blanc began, temperatures were still above 35ºC. Such hot weather leads to the stuck fermentation of wine that ruins it. Moreover, it is essential to mention that wineries were not yet temperature-controlled, and technologically advanced back then.
The owner of the Château Cheval Blanc came across the idea of dumping ice into his wine to protect it from the heat. He lined up each day and endured interminable waits to get the 20-kilogram blocks of ice he needed, but his persistence paid off, and he could avoid a stuck fermentation.4
Many decades had passed before the ‘47 Cheval Blanc reached its glory. During the early 1970s, the ‘47 Cheval was served at numerous tastings. Wine connoisseurs drank that 30-year-old wine frivolously during such events. However, in the ‘90s times changed.
In 1997, Robert Parker rated 50-year-old Cheval Blanc at his highest score (100 points).
In 2007, after tasting 60-year-old Cheval in Geneva, Mike Steinberger said: “The moment I lifted the glass to my nose, my notion of excellence in wine, and my understanding of what wine was capable of, was instantly transformed. I could almost hear the scales recalibrating in my head”.5
Nowadays, the director of Cheval Blanc, Pierre Lurton, concedes, that 1947 is “an accident of nature”.6
It is not easy to imagine more humble origins than those of the Château Cheval Blanc 1947 and the main protagonist of Ratatouille.
The wine is made under terrible conditions and a little rat dreams of becoming a chef. Both were underestimated at the beginning of their journeys, but finally, they are glorified by the most respected critics of all time.
“Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere” - Anton Ego
The wine market insides
At a Christie’s auction in 2007 in London, a case of Château Cheval Blanc ‘47 sold for $147,000, which gives us over $12,000 per bottle.
In 2010, the last 1947 Cheval Blanc to appear at Christie’s — a single, six-liter bottle — established a new world record when it sold for £192,000 / $304,375.
In 2023, due to wine-searcher.com, the 750ml bottle of Château Cheval Blanc ‘47 can be purchased for $11,000 - $17,800.
M. Steinberger, “The Greatest Wine on the Planet”, Slate.com, 2008.
M. Steinberger, “The Greatest Wine on the Planet”, Slate.com, 2008.
S. Brook, “Wine Legend: Château Cheval Blanc 1947”, Decanter.com, 2017