2016 Petit Cheval
Buying options
Tasting notes
This is a red with pinpoint but also beautiful tannin, fruit and acid focus. Medium to full body and a tight center palate. Creamy texture. Really excellent. Best second wine of Cheval Blanc in years. Mar 2017, www.jamessuckling.com
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Wine Enthusiast
More reviews and scores
There's not much of Cheval Blanc's second wine this year (7% of total production), because the majority went into the top wine. Packed with fruit, fine acidity and gentle tannins, the Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend will develop quickly. Apr 2017, Roger Voss, www.wineenthusiast.com
Back after 2015 when none was made. 16% bulk was produced from a young plot, 7% went into Petit Cheval and the rest into the grand vin. 11,000 bottles of this. 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc, from three plots. Light nose. Good savour and a little inkiness. Very far from a grand vin but a pretty blend. Racy. Pierre-Olivier Clouet sees Italian structure in this. Just a little skinny on the end. Apr 2017, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2021-2030
The 2016 Petit Cheval is gorgeous. Translucent, expressive and finely-knit, the 2016 captures the gracious side of the estate and vintage beautifully. The 2016 tilts heavily to Merlot in the blend, but it is the brighness of the Franc that drives the wine. In 2016, the Petit Cheval is a wine of precision and freshness above all else. Apr 2017, www.vinous.com
About the producer

Ch. Cheval Blanc is one the finest producers in Bordeaux. The Saint-Emilion estate’s Cabernet Franc-dominant wines are consistently among the top wines of the vintage.