Le Petit Cheval 2018

La Revue du Vin de France

VertdeVin

The nose is fruity, fresh and offers concentration as well as a small power. It reveals notes of bright wild cassis, small crushed black fruits and small notes of juicy blueberry associated with fine touches of cornflower as well as fine hints of crushed redcurrant and very discreet hints of nutmeg. The palate is fruity, well-balanced and offers a fine acidulous frame, juiciness, a good definition, tension and precision. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fresh/juicy blackberry, juicy cassis and small notes of blueberry associated with touches of raspberry as well as hints of juicy/crunchy violet plum, liquorice, cassis cream/fig as well as subtle hints of hazelnut, toasted, very fine hints of caramelization and a very discreet hint of cardamom.

Wine Enthusiast

The second wine of Château Cheval Blanc, this is rich and structured in its own right. It offers powerful tannins as well as ripe, smoky fruitiness. Blackberry flavors vie with structured richness, always keeping a center of freshness. The wine will age well and should not be drunk before 2026.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Le Petit Cheval rocks up with open-knit notes of crushed black raspberries, plum preserves and mulberries, plus hints of wild mushrooms, pencil lead, mossy tree bark and cloves. The medium to full-bodied palate is plush, juicy and pretty much ready for business, featuring plenty of earth and black fruit layers, finishing long with a spicy kick. Ten percent of the total production this year went into this second label of Cheval Blanc. I'd give it just another year or two in bottle to fan its tail out a little more and then drink it over the next 15-18 years.

“The berries had a lot of tannins,” commented Technical Director Pierre-Olivier Clouet. “It was a challenge to ripen all those tannins!” Cheval Blanc had a particularly long harvest, being among the last to bring in the final parcels of Cabernet Franc on October 11. “We had to wait for each plot to get the right maturity,” added Clouet. “This gave us these wines with great drinkability—very silky and round.” Yields were a very healthy 43 hectoliters per hectare this year. “Too small of a yield would have been detrimental,” said Clouet. “We had to find the balance in the weather that followed.” Pierre Lurton, the Director of Cheval Blanc and d'Yquem, joined us at this stage. “This wine truly represents the whole vineyard,” he was excited to add. “Seventy-four percent of our total production went into Cheval Blanc this year, including components of the whole vineyard. Young vines, old vines, clay, gravel and sand—all participated in the final blend.” This vintage of Cheval Blanc is astonishingly beautiful. Even if the wine doesn’t eventually wind up with a perfect score for this vintage, what I particularly love about the 2018 is that it is so true to the heart-and-soul signature of this amazing vineyard. And, I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, but maybe that is even more important than a perfect score?

Jeb Dunnuck

In the running for the top second wine of the vintage, the 2018 Le Petit Cheval checks in as 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc and has incredible quality for a second wine. Floral notes of black cherries, graphite, and smoked earth all emerge from this medium to full-bodied Saint-Émilion that has plenty of classic Cheval Blanc elegance and purity as well as length. It’s already seamless and hard to resist, and ideal for drinking over the coming two decades or so.

James Suckling

A wonderful and rather exotic white with aromas of pears, lychees, lemons and some green apples that follow through to the palate and show layers of dreamy texture and a long, flavorful finish. The texture is more like a red that a white. Fermented and aged in slightly larger oak barrels. This is a special wine and the best release so far. Very intense. 74% sauvignon blanc and 26% semillon. One for the cellar.