Château Cheval Blanc: Pierre Lurton
More then three decades have passed since the appointment of Pierre Lurton, and he remains the man in charge at Château Cheval Blanc today. He divides his time between this estate and the other jewel in the LVMH crown, Château d’Yquem. He does, of course, also have some responsibility for other estates located nearby, acquired much more recently by LVMH, including for a while Château La Tour du Pin (more on the fate of this estate in my examination of the Cheval Blanc vineyards) and Château Quinault L’Enclos. He also has a family vineyard he looks after, Château Marjosse.
One of Pierre’s most significant early contributions was to instruct a detailed soil analysis to be carried out, work that was undertaken by the academic Kees Van Leeuwen who was the technical director of the estate at the time (he continued to consult here long after this post came to an end), but also a lecturer in viticulture at the University of Bordeaux (where he eventually held a chair). The survey facilitated a much better understanding of the vineyard, the varied soils that could be found here, and where they ran in the vineyard. This was helpful in terms of understanding the quality of the harvested fruit, and was surely also instrumental in the design of the cellars that came many years later.
I first became aware of the intention to build the new cellars during a visit to the estate in 2010, when I was given an opportunity by Pierre to look over the architect’s plans. It was immediately apparent that this was a huge project and one that would make a dramatic statement within the region.
