Wine Advisor
Le Petit Cheval 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Readers should take note of the estate’s second wine, the delicious, up-front, Cheval-like Le Petit Cheval. The 2005 may be the finest example of this cuvee yet produced. Lastly, readers should be aware that the owners of Cheval Blanc recently purchased the nearby La Tour du Pin Figeac, so they now have another 20-acre vineyard which they hope to bring up to an exciting level of quality.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A lifted ripe raspberry nose, quite minerally and intense, though lacking a little delineation. The palate has plummy black fruits, quite chewy tannins and a huge grip. Very dense, with a touch of raisin and raspberry. Good length, though lacking a little finesse. Attractive, but not profound. Tasted April 2006.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Cheval Blanc’s second wine, the 2005 Le Petit Cheval, possesses some of the character of its bigger sibling. Revealing a slight green streak among the cranberry and black cherry fruit along with medium body and a soft, plush texture, it is ideal for drinking over the next decade.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted single blind at Southwold. This has really turned out much better than I thought when tasted blind. The nose is very closed, black earthy fruits with a touch of liquorices. Muffled. Good structure, a little Cabernet Franc in here? Nice cedar quality, fine tannins, focused and masculine towards the blackberry finish. Good length. Good breeding and purity. Drink 2010-2020. Tasted January 2009.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2005 Le Petit Cheval shows the aromatic intensity but also the power of the Grand Vin, all in miniature of course. Far from an easygoing second wine, Le Petit Cheval packs quite a punch. Mocha, tobacco, cedar, dried flowers and red berry fruit all open with a bit of coaxing. I would give this a good bit of air, as it is not especially forthcoming.
About the Producer
This wine comes from the Saint-Emilion region on the right bank of Bordeaux, France. It is worth mentioning that, in view of the excellent quality and uniformity of the grapes, Château Cheval Blanc did not brew the second-brand wine in 2015. Except for a small part of wine for internal use that is not for sale, the remaining grapes are all used for wine production. Brew the real wine. The winery implements a rigorous and meticulous brewing process to minimize the use of chemicals to produce fresh, elegant, delicate and balanced wines. After the grapes are crushed, they are placed in small tanks with a capacity of 450 kg, after which the must flows into the fermenters by gravity flow (Gravity Flow). Depending on the weight of the must after crushing and the plot of origin, the winemaker will choose a different fermenter and only fill 3/4 of it. After 12 hours of alcoholic fermentation, the workers perform skinning three times a day. According to the daily tasting by the technical team and the cellar supervisor and the measurement data of the liquid hydrometer, the workers will gradually reduce the number of skins in the late fermentation period. After the alcoholic fermentation is complete, the wine is soaked in the skins for several days in temperature-controlled fermenters at 28-30°C to make the tannins more supple and the structure smoother. Afterwards, the wine liquid is transferred to a fermenter at 20°C for 3 weeks to several months of malolactic fermentation (Malolactic Fermentation) to soften the acidity and stabilize the structure. After all the fermentation processes are completed, the wine is transferred to new oak barrels and aged in an underground cellar with a constant temperature of 14°C for 16-18 months. The winemaker will change barrels at this stage, using inert gas to transfer the 210 liters of wine to adjacent oak barrels to minimize oxidation and maintain the balance of the wine. After aging in barrels for three months, the winemaker tastes the wine in each oak barrel, and then mixes the wine to prepare the current year's Cheval Blanc red wine.
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