Many wineries are architecturally gorgeous and harmonious with the landscape. Almaviva in Chile, Opus One in Napa Valley and Angelo Gaja’s in Maremma all pop to mind. I’m no architect, but the Cheval Blanc’s new winery sets a new standard. It’s an unmatched architectural gem.
Most amazingly, as modern as it is, it does not look out of place on the flat St. Emilion plain. At a distance, its gracefully undulating white roof looks like clouds or little hills on the horizon. 
Architect Christian de Portzamparc remarked, “We have no hills here, so we made our own hills.”
Pierre Lurton, Cheval Blanc’s managing director, explained they had a choice of trying to match the existing 18th century architecture–making a 21st century building look like an 18th century building–or just making a 21st century building. They chose the latter, but through the use of similarly colored materials, it actually blends beautifully with the existing structures.
They had enough space to build the new winery without needing to demolish the existing one, which meant they had the luxury of not needing to rush it to completion. (If they had to raze the existing winery, they would have been forced to complete the entire project within the 9 months between fermentation cycles). They began the project in October 2009 and had it ready for the 2011 harvest.
The viticultural goal was to match the number and size of fermenting vats to the 52 parcels of vineyards that comprise the estate so they can control fermentation and blending more exactly. Inside the 54,000 square foot $18 million winery, bulbous fermenting vats–which 
would be as much at home in a museum of modern art–stand like sculptures. For architectural and esthetic harmony, the nine different sizes of tanks look nearly identical from the outside. As in the old winery, the tanks are cement, but shaped slightly differently, giving them a modernistic appearance. Curiously, they did not perform experimental fermentations to determine whether these differently shaped vats had any affect on fermentation. The gleaming floors, the beautiful wood, sparkling stainless steel, both of which were made in Italian workshops, and natural light, all reinforce the museum-like feel to the interior.
The view from the roof reminded me of an infinity swimming pool…except that, more precisely, it’s an infinity roof garden from which you gaze seamlessly into the vineyards. An expansive outdoor space with a gently sloping roof deck makes it ideal for entertaining.
Their claim aside, it’s hard for me to imagine Cheval Blanc making better wine. I recently had a bottle of the 1988 from my cellar with dinner (our first daughter’s birth year and purchased upon release before prices went into the stratosphere). It was positively glorious, mature and layered, yet still fresh and lively. Even a 2000 Le Petit Cheval, their second wine, served from magnum at the lunch to commemorate the opening of the new winery, had developed well at 10 years and was gorgeous.
So, will their fine-tuning of fermentation improve the wine? Maybe. In reality, though, the winery is probably as much a “statement” or a monument as tool for perfecting the wine. But what a grand monument it is. It’s a positively superb addition to the landscape.
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