"The 2023 Le Petit Cheval represents 10% of total production this vintage. It has a fragrant bouquet that is very pure, black cherries and wild strawberry, hints of cassis with peony and violet scents that percolate through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine sapidity, quite assertive in terms of grip toward the finish with a touch of brine on the aftertaste. An upstanding Petit Cheval." -Neal Martin
Robert Parker
RP91
"There are only 15,000 bottles of the 2023 Le Petit Cheval, a blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc that didn't have quite the plenitude of the grand vin. Offering up an attractive bouquet of minty berries, cherries, plums and petals, it's medium-bodied, pillowy and vibrant, with polished tannins and a bright core of fruit. I suspect that a bit of patience will be rewarded by more fat and texture." -William Kelley
Decanter
D97
"Freshly zested lemon with grapefruit and orange aromas - so pronounced and really quite crystalline on the nose. At the back some green apple and white floral elderflower and acacia notes too. Clean and focussed, lovely precision and clarity to the flavours with such a strikingly poised texture. This has grip and zing but also just a touch of buttery, softness that adds weight to the body. Threads of nuttiness and wood enter giving accents and spiced edges. Piercing acidity adds lift and joins the layers of confit lemon, baked vanilla pecans, bitter grapefruit and soft cinnamon spice. Gorgeously complex and the flavour lasts for ages. It has everything you want from this cuvée which has found its rhythm."
Wine Spectator
WS93
"A bird of a different feather, this marries a polished feel with the nervy, underlying zip of sel gris and quinine notes, while its core of green almond, star fruit and white peach opens slowly. Shows subtle accents of tarragon and verbena on the finish. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon."
