Chateau Cheval Blanc Le Petit Cheval Saint-Emilion Bordeaux France 2019 (14.5% ABV) — 94
SF | Rich colour; very pure; fascinating nose of pine forest, strawberry fields and a slate mine . Can this be so? Why not. There is a lifted character, effortless beyond the complexity of the aromatic. The palate focuses mostly on the fruit, which is good; wild strawberry and plum to the fore, behind that pot pourri, cardomon and a shard of graphite. The tussle between the tannin and the acidity is unresolved; as it should be, but the concentration is exceptional for a second wine and there is a distinct , beyond mere leafy, Cabernet Franc character which is very attractive indeed! Bravo, bravissimo, 95
AJ | Dark, dense black-red, though not opaque. Poised ripeness, here, with a significant freshening of the fruits: pure, svelte, curranty and appealing. Leaf and ground-hazels as well as blackcurrants and damsons, all very crisply defined. Deep, pure, long and alluring on the palate, crafted in a very distinctive, smooth-textured style where all the inner energy of the wine is predicated on its concentrated fruit. Indeed it is so dense that you tend to forget about the other hints and overtones, at least at this stage of youth. A very impressive Petit Cheval which surely breaks now ground in terms of concentration and fruit force. The tannins themselves are soft but the concentration almost has a stiffening, textural dimension in its own right.Drink Dates: 2025 - 2040. 93
MS | Noticeably subtle on the nose, both ripe red fruit fragrance and minerality; fullish wine, fresh, delicately, finely tannic, beautifully balanced; freshly sweet to taste, gently mineral infused pure, transparent, long and refined, a touch of warmth, but overall effortlessly classy, fine, rewarding. Wonderful winemaking, a really lovely second wine. So fine textured it will give a great deal of pleasure relatively early, but even more later on. Drink Dates: 2029 - 2044+. 94