Le Petit Cheval
Le Petit Cheval
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Grape Varietal: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc
Country & Region: France | Bordeaux
Alcohol Level (%): 13
Bottle Size: 750ml
Details
Petit Cheval is produced from the same terroir and varietals as its big brother and is positioned as a different wine from the Château. First produced in 1988, Petit Cheval belongs to the exclusive circle of ‘second wines’ within the prestigious ‘Club of Nine’. Its unanimously recognised quality has brought this wine exponential notoriety and endowed it with the status of a great wine in its own right.
Winemaker notes
A pretty ruby colour. A fresh and elegant nose revealing roasted aromas of coffee and toasted bread with oaky notes. Extremely pure with a lovely balance on the finish.
2020
Wine Advocate 91+: The 2020 Le Petit Cheval offers up aromas of minty cherries, plums, raw cocoa, mint and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and voluptuous palate underpinned by a broad-shouldered chassis of tannin. A blend of 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot, it's a rather structured young Petit Cheval that will reward a bit of patience.
James Suckling 95: The quality of the tannin is impressive in this second wine, with lovely aromas and flavors of currants, berries and cherries with some chocolate and walnut. Medium body. Racy and fine. 59% cabernet franc and 41% merlot. Give it three to five years to come completely together, but already very beautiful.
Vinous 91-93: The 2020 Le Petit Cheval, which represents 12% of the total production this year, has a tightly wound bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, touches of wilted iris and just a dab of menthol. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit intermixed with sage and black pepper. Grippy and quite serious toward the finish, which feels a touch drier than usual. I feel this will need 5–7 years for the tannins to soften.
Decanter 95: Cola, liquorice and ripe blueberries on the nose - perfumed, heady and expressive. So delicious on the palate, smooth and driving with excellent energy - a youthful tension to the mid-palate. Sleek and stylish with a gorgeous texture, perfectly weighted to give a mouthfilling expression yet keeping a refined and focused delivery of black fruit, liquorice and floral flavours. Impressive and supremely pleasurable - this makes you want a glass immediately. Spicy, and perfumed because of the Cabernet Franc but all the better for it with 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot.
2021
Wine Advocate 91: As readers may remember, this cuvée simply represents everything that doesn't synergize with Cheval Blanc's blend, so the 2021 Le Petit Cheval is composed of some 60% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, amounting to fully half the surface planted to Cabernet Sauvignon at Cheval Blanc. Offering up aromas of dark berries, mulberries and mint framed by creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and polished, concluding with a long, delicately vanillin-inflected finish. Its composition means that it will reward a bit of patience.
James Suckling 94: This is an unusually cabernet-based Petit Cheval with blackcurrant and mineral character and hints of seashell. Medium-bodied, with punchy tannins but a polished and beautiful texture. Tight at the end. Impressive and structured. It’s very St. Julien for this second wine. 60% merlot, 33% cabernet sauvignon and 7% cabernet franc. Best after 2027.
Vinous 94: The 2021 Le Petit Cheval is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. Soft, silky and exceptionally balanced, the 2021 is all class. Dark cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, smoke and grilled herbs abound. The blend is 60% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc, with the Cabernet Sauvignon quite evident. That makes the 2021 a pretty unique wine, especially in its tannin profile. The spent 18 months in once-used barrels.
