Petit Cheval - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2019

Jamessuckling.com

96 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe5/5/2022

This is so floral and beautiful with roses, violets and some lavender. Spices and stems, too. Medium-bodied, firm and bright with compact density to the wine. Beautiful tannins. This is extremely structured. Second wine of Cheval Blanc. 56% merlot and 44% cabernet franc. Try after 2027.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe4/12/2022

The 2019 Château Cheval Blanc Le Petit Cheval is a solid (better than solid, actually) second wine offering beautiful elegance, purity, and finesse, which is what this estate does better than anyone. Complex notes of red and black currants, forest floor, cedarwood, and tobacco all define the bouquet, and it's medium-bodied, with silky, fine-grained tannins, no hard edges, and just a seamless, elegant, layered style that will drink spectacularly well for 10-15 years.

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byWilliam Kelleythe4/7/2022

Exhibiting aromas of plums, sweet wild berries, rose petals, spices and cigar wrapper, the 2019 Le Petit Cheval is medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with supple tannins and succulent acids. Pierre-Olivier Clouet explains that his aspiration is to produce 100% Cheval Blanc and that, as a result, this cuvée simply represents anything that doesn't belong in the grand vin's blend. Of course, however, it shares some of the latter's DNA.

Vinous

94 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2022

The 2019 Petit Cheval is a stunning second wine - if it can even be called that. In 2019, Petit Cheval is a blend of four parcels that were in the Grand Vin in 2018. Dark, supple and expressive, the 2019 offers up an exotic mélange of black cherry, spice, new leather and graphite, all of which build effortlessly in the glass. The Petit represents 5.5% of the château's production in 2019, but it is more of a second selection, as 12% of the wine that year was sold in bulk.

Vinous

94 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/24/2022

The 2019 Petit Cheval is a stunning second wine - if it can even be called that. In 2019, Petit Cheval is a blend of four parcels that were in the Grand Vin in 2018. Dark, supple and expressive, the 2019 offers up an exotic mélange of black cherry, spice, new leather and graphite, all of which build effortlessly in the glass. The Petit represents 5.5% of the château's production in 2019, but it is more of a second selection, as 12% of the wine that year was sold in bulk.

Vinous

90 / 100

byNeal Martinthe2/17/2022

The 2019 Le Petit Cheval has a vivid bouquet of raspberry, wild strawberry, black currant, and hints of fresh raisin and fig. The palate is medium-bodied with a granular texture and fine weight and depth, delivering dark red berry fruit laced with brown spice and cracked black pepper. Enjoy this over the next 10 years. Just 10,000 bottles made this year.