Le Petit Cheval Blanc 2018

Le Petit Cheval Blanc is an exciting new addition to the wines of Château Cheval Blanc.  The inaugural vintage of 2015 was a dazzling expression of 100% Sauvignon Blanc.  For those who love White Bordeaux, Le Petit Cheval Blanc possesses elegance and racing acidity coupled with the know-how of this legendary producer from the Right Bank.  The technical director, Pierre-Olivier Clouet who oversees production of this stunning white compares the wine to some of the greatest expressions of Sancerre from the Loire Valley.  Regardless, Le Petit Cheval Blanc is truly one of the more unique wines coming out of the Right Bank – a treasure.

Château Cheval Blanc has some of the best terroir on the Right Bank – and a lot of that is due to the mosaic of different soil types at the property.  Straddling the border between Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, Cheval Blanc shares the same strip of blue clay as the Pomerol legend, Château Pétrus and has the same gravel as the outstanding Château Figeac. The vignerons use this patchwork of different soil types to their advantage, ingeniously planting the optimum clones in the perfect soil and carefully tending to all 237,228 vines as if they were their own children. The first known document where Château Cheval Blanc was referenced was a contract in 1546.  It was a part of a vast property that encompassed Château Figeac. Even then, the terroir was prized as some of the best in the Right Bank.  During the French Revolution, two vignerons tended to Cheval Blanc’s vineyards because the terroir was so extraordinary. In 1832 the Ducasse family purchased the terroir from Château Figeac and at the time it was named, “Le Barrail de Cailloux,” or “The Barrel of Tiny Stones.” 

Château Cheval Blanc was eventually acquired by Jean Laussac Fourad.  Fourad wanted to create the best wine in Saint-Émilion and knew with the terroir of Château Cheval Blanc, anything was possible.  The wines were initially bottled and sold off under the name Château Figeac, but after competing against the Médoc First Growths and winning awards at exhibitions in London and Paris, the name was changed to Château Cheval Blanc – "The House of the White Horse.” In 1998 Château Cheval Blanc was acquired by Bernard Arnault and Baron Albert Frere who brought on Pierre Lurton to manage the property, in addition to overseeing other top estates such as Château d'Yquem.  Under Pierre’s keen eye, the vines at Cheval Blanc are meticulously managed year after year. The wines are vinified in their state-of-the-art gravity flow vat room to preserve softness. 

For Le Petit Cheval Blanc, attention to detail is key.  Interestingly enough, Saint-Émilion legislation does not allow white grapes to be grown, so the wine is sold under a generic Bordeaux AOC.  The plantings of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon that go into Le Petit Cheval Blanc are from a vineyard across the road that was previously known as La Tour du Pin.  Production of this rare, beautiful wine extremely small at about 1,000 cases.

''Cheval Blanc's relatively new white wine, the 2018 Le Petit Cheval Blanc, is a blend of 74% Sauvignon Blanc and 26% Sémillon. This is the first vintage that the Sémillon plantings have come online to make the blend. Profound notions of ripe pineapple, passion fruit and white peaches explode from the glass, followed by fragrant notes of lemongrass, lime blossoms and yuzu zest with a waft of sea spray. The palate is full-bodied with an alluring oiliness to the texture and layer upon layer of tropical fruits, citrus peel and minerals, marked by a refreshing line and finishing with loads of mineral sparks. Put aside all your preconceptions of "Bordeaux Blanc" and don't even try to compare it to Pessac-Leognan. This has its own gorgeous expression of these grapes, defying regional tradition. Give yourself over to the rich decadence of this flamboyant white that is at once without peers, but is also quintessentially Cheval Blanc." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (3/31/2021), Ratings: 95, Drink: 2022-2032

''Fresh acidities ensure a brisk pace from the first moment, and this is a bright, grippy white wine, with clarity of flavour in the citrus, lemongrass and rosemary notes, slowing down on the finish with graphite and slate hints. As it opens up richer stone fruit become clearer. First year with Sémillon added to the wine, after being entirely Sauvignon Blanc since its launch in 2014. Aged for 18 months in new oak, demi-muids and vats (14 and 26hl) ensures a rich texture, and draw out the finish. Le Petit Cheval Blanc comes from 6.6ha of vines in what was previously Ch la Tour du Pin. Tasted at a château vertical this summer.'' Jane Anson, Best Pomerol 2020 Wines Tasted En Primeur (7/29/2021) Ratings: 93 Drink: 2021-2024