It is very ironic that Miles railed against Merlot because Chateau Cheval Blanc always has a large percentage of Merlot which is THE celebrated grape in Saint-Emillion now and then. There’s even some anecdotal evidence that the 1961 Cheval Blanc was 100% Merlot like arguably the greatest Merlot based wine in the world-Chateau Petrus.

After Sideways was released, I remember how Pinot Noir went from an affordable domestically produced wine to seeing the prices rise considerably and distinctly remember Merlot vines being replanted but in the post regarding Bottle Shock, someone made a startling comment about insiders rejecting Merlot but I don’t remember anything in the industry about “insiders and snobs that Merlot was lame” especially because many of us insiders love Bordeaux right bank wines where Merlot has always reigned supreme even when Sideways came out.

I reached out Chateau Cheval Blanc regarding the blend in 1961 but they responded they do not have that information.

1) Anyone have access to grape production data from Bordeaux RIGHT BANK for 1961? 2) I’ve never seen the irony of why Ch Cheval Blanc was used in Sideways despite the fact that it celebrates the Merlot grape. Anyone read why this was used as a dramatic device or just a coincidence? 3) Anyone else hear that Ch Cheval Blanc was 100% Merlot in 1961?