W
Winewriters canbeahardenedbunch,whatwith
visitingwineriesonone continent and touringvine-
yardsonanother. But that fall day, asagroupof us
first enteredChâteauCheval Blanc inSaint-Emilion
in theBordeauxwine regionof France,wewereal-
most giddy.Maybe itwas thedriveup to the château
along themanicuredgrounds;maybe itwas thehigh-
roofed 19th-centurybuilding that looked like itwas
waiting forNapoleon III toarrive.Ormaybe itwas
thatCheval Blanc isacknowledgedasoneof the
world’sgreatwineriesand its 1947vintage is said
tobeasgoodaswinegets. Because, asRichard
CarletonHacker, oneof thewriters, pointedout ashe
lookedover thegrounds that day: “This is thekindof
wine country that the rest of theworldaspires to.”
Inotherwords, there’sa lotmore toawinery than
the tasting roomandgift shop.Maybe, aswithCheval
Blanc, it’s thepedigree.But it couldbecenturies-old
history, likeAustria’sSchlossGobelsburg, ora
location in theArgentineAndes, like thesettingof
O. Fournier.Or, perhaps it’ssomething that’sbilledas
awinerypark, as is thecasewithmoviemogulFrancis
FordCoppola’seponymousSonomaCountywinery.
Whatever it is, therearewineries throughout the
worldwhereacertainsomethingmakes themunique
andspecial— just like theninewehave featuredhere.
CHÂTEAUCHEVALBLANC, FRANCE:
Seea legend
.
Everythingabout the179-year-old
winery, from the furnishings in themainbuilding to
thevineyards, exudesanairofwine royalty.Andwhy
not?ChevalBlanc isnoble. It’sa favoriteofRobert
Parker, thepre-eminentwinecritic in theworld, anda
bottleof thesublime1947Bordeaux—possibly the
most celebratedwineof the20thcentury—hassold
forasmuchas$24,000. chateau-cheval-blanc.com
TRAVEL
FALL 2011
celebratedliving.com
80
9Must-SeeWineries
By Jeff Siegel
There’s a whole world of wineries to visit, but these spectacular standouts — from historic
castles tomodern-day architectural marvels — should be on your tasting itinerary. By Jeff Siegel
© JEAN-PIERREMULLER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
