2020 Le Petit Cheval Rouge

The 2020 Le Petit Cheval (Blanc) has a well-defined and quite floral bouquet with yellow fruit, beeswax and orange blossom, developing more complexity in the glass as it aerates. The palate is well balanced with a smooth entry and fine delineation, quite cohesive with an underrated and persistent finish. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Sémillon was added to the blend of the Cheval Blanc white from 2018, and it was immediately clear that it added an extra layer of interest. This is a vintge that I've tried several times over the past few years, and it keeps getting better, showing white peaches riven with waxy lemon rind, sage and saffran that bring it in line with the complexity and finesse of the rest of the (red) Cheval stable. Aged for 18 months in larg-sized new oak barrels.

The 2020 Le Petit Cheval offers up aromas of minty cherries, plums, raw cocoa, mint and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and voluptuous palate underpinned by a broad-shouldered chassis of tannin. A blend of 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot, it's a rather structured young Petit Cheval that will reward a bit of patience.