PETIT CHEVAL
2021 Grand Cru Saint Emilion Château Cheval Blanc
| Grapes | Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc |
| Colour | Red |
| Origin | France, Bordeaux |
| Sub-district | Saint Emilion & Satellites |
| Village | Saint Emilion |
| Classification | Grand Cru |
| ABV | 13% |
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. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Jul 2024)
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DELIVERY SERVICE
We offer free nationwide delivery on all orders over £150 (excluding Highlands & Islands). Express Delivery options also available.A serious Petit Cheval, with roses, chalky tannins, blackcurrant, red cherry, capsicum, graphite and smoked earth. First time to have Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend of Petit Cheval, which along with the vintage itself perhaps lends this savoury quality. The harvest was long and slow, September 22 to October 14, later than in most recent years, with a yield of 28hl/h. Drinking range: 2025 - 2036 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2024)
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. Drinking range: 2029 - 2041 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2024)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval has held on to that strict, almost Médoc-like nose engendered by the higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (33%): blackberry, briar, incense and graphite, the latter more pronounced than at en primeur. The palate is medium-bodied with a clean and precise entry, fresh acidity, refreshing sapidity and an almost briny finish that lingers in the mouth. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2024)
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc sits at the pinnacle of the St Emilion meritocracy, unarguably alongside Château Ausone and arguably alongside Château Angélus and Château Pavie, the two estates elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in 2012. But, whilst the other three are clustered around the village of St Emilion, Cheval Blanc is far to the north-west and possibly only a St Emilion by accident of human geography. This is not classic St Emilion limestone and clay territory, Château Cheval Blanc (and neighbouring Figeac) sits on the gravel band that benefits its northerly neighbours across the road and across the border in Pomerol, namely Château Conseillante and Château l’Evangile. Next door Château Figeac was once a mighty estate of some 200ha, but by the early 19th Century the extravagances of the Comtesse de Carle-Trajet had taken their toll and large portions of the estate had to be sold off. Jean-Jacques Ducasse bought a plot of Figeac in 1832, and then a little bit more; his son-in-law, Jean Laussac-Fourcaud bought some more; and by 1871 Château Cheval Blanc had been carved out of the Figeac estate. Initially the wine was still sold as Château Figeac but from 1852 the name Château Cheval Blanc was used. The Laussac-Fourcaud family, morphing into the Fourcaud-Laussac family, owned Cheval Blanc until 1998. With the first classification of St Emilion’s vineyards in 1954, Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone were given special status as Premier Grand Cru Classé (A). New owners in 1998 brought Pierre Lurton in to manage Château Cheval Blanc, something he does alongside managing Château Yquem. A new space-age looking winery was completed in 2011. The 39ha of vineyards are planted to 58% Cabernet Franc and 42% Merlot, with an average age of 40 years. They were augmented by a 1.4ha block added from Château Tour du Pin in 2012. Another block of vines from Tour du Pin appear to be destined for white wine production.
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