Le Petit Cheval Blanc 2023 released on La Place
Tomorrow (16 September) sees the release of Le Petit Cheval Blanc 2023 – just the the sixth annual release of Chateau Cheval Blanc’s blanc sec. db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay, who was lucky enough to have a sneak preview, shares his first impression.
The wine is sourced entirely from parcels of the former of Chateau La Tour du Pin, purchased by Cheval Blanc in 2006 and situated on the other side of the road running between Pomerol and St Emilion. Following the purchase and a detailed analysis of the soils, just over 6 of the 8 hectares of La Tour du Pin were replanted with Sauvignon Blanc and a little Sémillon. Le Petit Cheval Blanc was born.
The first release of the wine to the market, always outside of the en primeur system, was the 2018. Six vintages on the wine has attracted a significant following, with Liv-ex for instance reporting it the 7th most traded white from Bordeaux in the last year. The 2023 vintage, not necessarily the most auspicious for white in general in the region, seems to me at least to reaffirm and underline a subtle style and elegance very consistent with the idea of this as the blanc sec that Cheval Blanc would be had it always been made of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
It expresses eloquently the talent and guile of the wine-making team at Cheval Blanc and now rightly deserves its place amongst the greatest white wines of the region – alongside Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Pavillon Blanc de Margaux and, of course, LVMH Vins d’exception’s own Y d’Yquem.
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Tasting notes
Le Petit Cheval Blanc 2023 (Bordeaux blanc; 70 % Sauvignon Blanc, 30 % Sémillon; 13.5% alcohol; crafted from a mosaic of 12 parcels from the 6 hectares of what was once the Tour du Pin vineyard just across the street from the château itself on clay, sandy and gravelly soils; tasted in September 2025 on the eve of its release). Zingy. Bitingly – almost searingly – fresh, which I find very reassuring in another hot and dry vintage. This would not be difficult to pick blind and one of the things I like about it the most is the sense of familiarity, with those lovely – and now redolently Petit Cheval Blanc – notes of linden, lime, Bergamot, blood orange, white grapefruit zest, greengage and gooseberry. The use of oak is more subtle than before and there’s a little less beeswax than in earlier vintages. The accent here is more on the citrus notes than the stone fruits. And that also leaves more space for the white delicate florality and the most gorgeous brushstroke of tannin on the finish. A beautifully stylish, sleek, slender and refined wine with a long and chiselled finish and a simply wondrous mouthfeel. So pure, so elegant, so crystalline and yet so intense. The best vintage yet. 96.
Cheval des Andes 2022 (Mendoza, Argentina; 65% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Malbec; 5% Petit Verdot; 14% alcohol). Fascinatingly here I hone in first on a note of horsehair (not inappropriate for Cheval des Andes)! Plump, rich, plush, full and yet beguilingly soft and fluid, vivid and gently rolling over the palate. Candlewax. Myrrh. Wild mountain herbs. Black tea. There’s a little cedar and rather more graphite reinforcing the essential classicism of a very fine and beautifully crafted vintage. Dynamic and energetic. 97.
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