Critic Review
2021 Bordeaux: L’Enfant Terrible (Feb 2024)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. Soft, silky and exceptionally balanced, the 2021 is all class. Dark cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, smoke and grilled herbs abound. The blend is 60% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc, with the Cabernet Sauvignon quite evident. That makes the 2021 a pretty unique wine, especially in its tannin profile. The spent 18 months in once-used barrels.
Antonio Galloni - 94
2+2=5: Bordeaux 2021 In Bottle (Feb 2024)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval has held on to that strict, almost Médoc-like nose engendered by the higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (33%): blackberry, briar, incense and graphite, the latter more pronounced than at en primeur. The palate is medium-bodied with a clean and precise entry, fresh acidity, refreshing sapidity and an almost briny finish that lingers in the mouth.
Neal Martin - 91
Enticingly Fallible: Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur (May 2022)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval, which, according to Pierre Lurton, contains more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, has attractive iris flower and incense aromas on the nose, along with plenty of dark berry fruit and just a touch of crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit on the entry, that Cabernet imparting a Médoc-like structure, and a strict, saline finish. I can see this aging well in bottle while waiting for the Grand Vin to reach its drinking plateau.
Neal Martin - 90-92
2021 Bordeaux En Primeur: Back to Classicism (May 2022)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval is fabulous. A parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon typically used for the Grand Vin gives the 2021 its core of dark fruit. Heady and explosive in the glass, the 2021 offers up a spellbinding array of dark fruit rose petal, mocha, incense and licorice. All the elements meld together so effortlessly. The 2021 is a dazzling Petit Cheval. That's all there is to it.
Antonio Galloni - 92-94
2021 Bordeaux: L’Enfant Terrible (Feb 2024)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. Soft, silky and exceptionally balanced, the 2021 is all class. Dark cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, smoke and grilled herbs abound. The blend is 60% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc, with the Cabernet Sauvignon quite evident. That makes the 2021 a pretty unique wine, especially in its tannin profile. The spent 18 months in once-used barrels.
Antonio Galloni - 94
2+2=5: Bordeaux 2021 In Bottle (Feb 2024)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval has held on to that strict, almost Médoc-like nose engendered by the higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (33%): blackberry, briar, incense and graphite, the latter more pronounced than at en primeur. The palate is medium-bodied with a clean and precise entry, fresh acidity, refreshing sapidity and an almost briny finish that lingers in the mouth.
Neal Martin - 91
Enticingly Fallible: Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur (May 2022)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval, which, according to Pierre Lurton, contains more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, has attractive iris flower and incense aromas on the nose, along with plenty of dark berry fruit and just a touch of crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit on the entry, that Cabernet imparting a Médoc-like structure, and a strict, saline finish. I can see this aging well in bottle while waiting for the Grand Vin to reach its drinking plateau.
Neal Martin - 90-92
2021 Bordeaux En Primeur: Back to Classicism (May 2022)
The 2021 Le Petit Cheval is fabulous. A parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon typically used for the Grand Vin gives the 2021 its core of dark fruit. Heady and explosive in the glass, the 2021 offers up a spellbinding array of dark fruit rose petal, mocha, incense and licorice. All the elements meld together so effortlessly. The 2021 is a dazzling Petit Cheval. That's all there is to it.
Antonio Galloni - 92-94
