Château Cheval Blanc
1995 was a warm and early-maturing year. September was cool and fairly rainy.
This is a very good vintage of Petit Cheval, with richness and smoothness.
1995 was a warm and early-maturing year. September was cool and fairly rainy.
This is a very good vintage of Petit Cheval, with richness and smoothness.
Weather conditions and vine’s growing cycle
Temperatures and rainfall
This was an especially warm year, with an average temperature of 14.1°C, i.e. 1.3°C less than average. After a dry, mild spring, there was a heatwave in summer with record highs in July and August. There had been nothing like it for 45 years. There was little rain from June to August at Cheval Blanc, although there were wide disparities in Bordeaux: drought conditions in Pauillac, but above-average rainfall on the Saint Emilion plateau. The early part of September was cold and wet, but the rain stopped during the last 10 days of the month. The fine weather then lasted until the end of October.
Water balance
Limited precipitation in June, July and August were conducive to marked water stress, which was beneficial to ripening.
Growing season
hanks to great weather, the growing season started early. Bud break took place about the 28th of March, with little difference between Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Mid-flowering occurred on the 1st of June. Véraison was observed in Merlot on the 4th of August and in Cabernet Franc on the 12th of that month. The weather was beautiful during the harvest, which lasted from the 15th to the 28th of September. In the previous 50 years, only the 1989 and 1990 vintages were picked earlier at Cheval Blanc. The grapes were in remarkably fine condition.
| Phenological stage | Merlot 1995 |
Average 1994-2014 |
Cabernet franc 1995 |
Average 1994-2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud break | March, 27th | March, 28th | March, 29th | 2 avril |
| Flowering | June, 1st | May, 30th | June, 1st | June, 1st |
| Véraison | August, 4th | August, 2nd | August, 12th | August, 8th |
| Beginning of the Harvest | September, 15th | September, 19th | September, 27th | |
| End of the Harvest | September, 27th | September, 28th | October, 5th | |
| Number of days between … | ||||
| Bud break and Flowering | 66 days | 63 days | 64 days | 60 days |
| Flowering and Véraison | 64 days | 64 days | 72 days | 68 days |
| Véraison and Harvest | 43 days | 48 days | 41 days | 50 days |
Features of the vintage
Ripening and yields
The grapes had the concentration found in warm, dry years: high levels of sugar and phenolic compounds, and lower acidity than the ten-year average. The crop was larger than usual.
| 1995 yield (hl/ha) | Average yield: 1946 to 2014 | |
| 44.7 | 33.9 | |
Cellar work
Petit Cheval did not bleed wine from any of the fermentation vats, nor chaptalise.
1995 Petit Cheval contains no press wine and was entirely aged in new oak barrels.
Blending
| Degree of alcohol | 12,5 |
|---|---|
| Total acidity (g H2 S04/L) | 3.35 |
| Volatile acidity (g H2 SO4/L) | 0.49 |
| pH | 3,89 |
| Total SO2 (mg/L) | 108 |
| Reducing sugar content (g/L) | 0,9 |
| IPT (DO280) | 60 |
Tasting
This was a very good, rich, and velvety vintage for Petit Cheval.
The colour reflects its great concentration. The core is very dark and youthful.
The nose is quite intense as well, showing mint, eucalyptus, and very ripe, almost candied fruit (banana and quince), enhanced by a touch of citrus. Notes of leather, truffle, and spice (cinnamon) are released after swirling in the glass.
The wine starts out rich and very velvety on the palate with mouth-filling freshness. It goes on to display plenty of ripe fruit, richness, and well-integrated oak on the middle palate. The aftertaste is quite elegant.
This is a delicious, very attractive Petit Cheval that strikes the right balance between aromatic complexity and freshness.This was a very good, rich, and velvety vintage for Petit Cheval.
The colour reflects its great concentration. The core is very dark and youthful.
The nose is quite intense as well, showing mint, eucalyptus, and very ripe, almost candied fruit (banana and quince), enhanced by a touch of citrus. Notes of leather, truffle, and spice (cinnamon) are released after swirling in the glass.
The wine starts out rich and very velvety on the palate with mouth-filling freshness. It goes on to display plenty of ripe fruit, richness, and well-integrated oak on the middle palate. The aftertaste is quite elegant.
This is a delicious, very attractive Petit Cheval that strikes the right balance between aromatic complexity and freshness.