Le Petit Cheval - Château Cheval Blanc - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2013

Wine Advocate

85 / 100

par Neal Martin le 28/10/2016

Wine Spectator

87 / 100

le 31/03/2016

Jamessuckling.com

89 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2016

A very delicious red with plum, chocolate and orange peel character. Medium body, light tannins and a fresh finish. Salty lemon. Drink now.

Wine Advocate

84-86 / 100

par Robert Parker le 29/08/2014

The 2013 Le Petit Cheval is composed of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc. This light-bodied, elegant second wine is okay, but not exciting. It should drink well for 7-8 years.

Cheval Blanc began their harvest on September 26 and, because of the tropical humidity and disease pressure, finished quickly.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

86-89 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 16/05/2014

(75% merlot and 25 cabernet franc):  Vivid ruby-red.  Complex, scented nose is very cabernet franc-dominated, offering delicately spicy blackcurrant, truffle, mint and leafy aromas.  Juicy, silky and sweet, with highly nuanced flavors of aromatic herbs and flowers.  Not especially dense but wonderfully expressive today, finishing with a firm but polished tannic spine.  Pierre Lurton told me that this estate went after only their really ripe cabernet franc and therefore had no issues with dilution.  One of the best second wines of the year, this is more successful than many grands vins in 2013.  Very well done.

timatkin.com

92 / 100

par Tim Atkin MW le 07/05/2014

Only 14% of the crop at Cheval Blanc went into this, the second wine this year. (26% was sold off in bulk.) The sacrifice was worth it, because this is a scented, forward, elegantly framed red with refined tannins, aromatic oak and soft red fruits’ flavours.

matthewjukes.com

16 / 20

par Matthew Jukes le 23/04/2014

(79 Merlot, 21 Cabernet Franc) 50% new oak, 13.2% alcohol. They apparently sold a lot of bulk wine to keep the standard of LPC up. This is a fresh, bright, clean wine with touches of mint and liquorice and a crunchy, cool, cherry fruit finish. This is a smart wine with a sleek shape and refined tannins. It is a little restrained, but perfectly enjoyable and early drinking too.

Jancis Robinson

16 / 20

par Richard Hemmings le 22/04/2014

Rich and luxurious scent – lots of perfume and succulent fruit. But also a definite green tinge. Light on the palate, with a sour, bitter element. Tannins are under control, though certainly on the rough side. It’s a shame – the scent is charming, but the palate is seemingly suffering from lack of ripeness.

Vinous

87-89 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 18/04/2014

The 2013 Petit Cheval is supple and easygoing. A wine with plenty of near and medium-term potential, the 2013 graces the palate with dark red cherry, plum, smoke and spices. Overall, the 2013 is a pretty, nicely textured wine, but there are elements of slight forwardness and evolution in the flavors that suggest the wine is best enjoyed upon release. The blend is 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc

Decanter.com

16,5 / 20

par Steven Spurrier le 15/04/2014

79% Merlot. Pretty nose - fresh and fruit-driven. Sweet-fruited attack then  smooth, lithe and fresh. Elegant wine with fine tannins but for earlier  drinking.

My Bettane + Desseauve

16,5 / 20

le 15/04/2014

Rondeur gourmande, grain de tanin ultra précis, merlot (79 %) avec de la fraîcheur, une persistance réelle, une grande texture. 10 000 bouteilles seulement.

Wine Advocate

84-86 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/04/2014

The Petit Cheval 2013 is a blend of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc. It has a higher-toned bouquet than its peers, subtle marine influences coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with quite bold tannins. Where this wine stumbles it towards the finish that seems very blunt and hard, and consequently the astringency lingers after the wine has exited.

Jamessuckling.com

87-88 / 100

par James Suckling le 08/04/2014

A fresh, clean glass with hazelnut, chocolate and berry. Medium body with fine tannins and a crisp finish. Light and pretty. Lots of cabernet franc character even though it's more than two-thirds merlot. Yummy second wine of Cheval.      

Wine Spectator

87-90 / 100

par James Molesworth le 03/04/2014

Features dusty, cocoa powder edges, with bitter plum, dark cherry and singed alder notes. Persistent, albeit on a small scale. Merlot and Cabernet Franc Tasted non-blind. —J.M.

Wine Enthusiast

90-92 / 100

par Roger Voss le 31/03/2014

This is a serious, dark wine, with ripe and concentrated Merlot-based character. It has ample density, although there is a light touch that brings out black currant fruitiness as well as bright acidity.