DECANTER 98 POINTS - "Extremely precise floral and berry aromatics build out of the glass and this sense of construction continues through the palate. On the attack you get a whoosh of powerful blueberry and blackberry, with sage, woodsmoke and crushed stone, all cut cleanly through, exposing juicy minerality and a feel of different elements layering on top of each other. 82% 1st wine in this vintage. Harvest from September 10, picking only in the mornings for two weeks (the only three plots of Merlot that were brought in after the September rains are in Petit Cheval). Biodiversity is blooming at Cheval right now - 40 brebis goats and sheep since October 2019, alongside pigs, 200 Bresse chicken, 40 egg-laying chickens and 16 beehives. They have planted 850 fruit trees this winter among the vines, and no longer work the soils. Less Cabernet Franc in the vineyard until 2022 due to replanting."
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "Blended of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon, the 2019 Blanc was harvested from 3rd of September to 19th of September. The alcohol is 14%. It is aging on its lees in French oak barrels, 35% new, for an anticipated 18 months. The nose is almost completely shut down on first sniff, soon giving way to notions of freshly squeezed lemons and limes, green apples and pear slices with nuances of orange blossom, fresh ginger and marzipan. Medium-bodied, the palate has a beguilingly satiny texture with crisp freshness, packed full of zesty layers, finishing long and perfumed."
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "Blended of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon, the 2019 Blanc was harvested from 3rd of September to 19th of September. The alcohol is 14%. It is aging on its lees in French oak barrels, 35% new, for an anticipated 18 months. The nose is almost completely shut down on first sniff, soon giving way to notions of freshly squeezed lemons and limes, green apples and pear slices with nuances of orange blossom, fresh ginger and marzipan. Medium-bodied, the palate has a beguilingly satiny texture with crisp freshness, packed full of zesty layers, finishing long and perfumed."
