The “cellar under the hill,” as it’s called by Christian de Portzamparc extends from the château, as if “the ground rises, carried by cement sails, toward the light and the sky,” said de Portzamparc. The striking design looks more like recent cutting-edge cellars from Spain than anything Bordeaux has produced.
The elegant structure sweeps across the vineyard, it houses the wine production facilities like it was as natural as the vines themselves. The Château Cheval Blanc dates back to the 1830's and is situated near the ancient and picturesque town of Saint-Emilion. Working within these parameters, Portzamparc, and the winery's owners, Baron Albert Frère and Bernard Arnault, wanted to create a sculpture that blended into the landscape.
The designer describes his building as a "winery under the hill", as it is a structure that is roofed by landscaping which descends into the estate. To facilitate natural ventilation to help the wine breath, the winery's walls are made from mashrabiya. Other natural materials were chosen to construct the unique winery building and as a consequence, it's one of the few wineries in the world to have a High Environment Quality certification. The client, Bernard Arnault, is also owner of luxury brand LVMH, for whom the architect designed the LVMH Tower in NYC.
Under the hill, natural light filters into the cellar, where the design showcases simplicity, elegance and muted stone. It's a 180-degree turn from the old, cramped cellar. At the same time, like its predecessor, the cellar is resolutely low-tech. “There’s no technology. It’s a wine atelier with the space to choreograph elegant movements,” said Lurton.
Technical director Pierre-Olivier Clouet said the design focused on Cheval-Blanc's approach to winemaking. “The concept of the new cellar turns around only one point: selection by plot. We gave our vat room one vat per plot. We have 44 plots and 52 vats, nine formats, from 20 hectoliters to 110 hectoliters,” said Clouet. “We will have fun searching for the characteristics of each plot—gravel, clay, sand, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, different clones and rootstocks. We will play with all of these components to build the blend of Cheval-Blanc and Petit Cheval—looking to gain purity, elegance and precision.”
Cheval-Blanc has been known for keeping its old cement vats when other Bordeaux properties switched to first stainless steel and then oak. The new cement vats are something to behold. Inside, Lurton insisted on a conical shape with temperature control encased in the back wall of the vat. Outside, the vats are pure modern art—custom-designed by de Portzamparc and created for Cheval-Blanc at a factory just outside Venice. Downstairs is an underground aging cellar, which needs relatively little energy to regulate temperature and humidity.
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