Château Cheval Blanc
2015 was hot and dry and Le Petit Cheval Blanc succeed in keeping a remarkable crunchy tension thanks to a mature harvest. It expresses both the rich and mature features according to the year and has kept an intense freshness.
2015 was hot and dry and Le Petit Cheval Blanc succeed in keeping a remarkable crunchy tension thanks to a mature harvest. It expresses both the rich and mature features according to the year and has kept an intense freshness.
Weather conditions and vine’s growing cycle
Temperatures and rainfall
Temperatures and rainfalls were close to normal values in the first three months of the year. The rest of 2015 was particularly dry, with the exception of a rainy episode in the first fortnight of August. Accumulated precipitations for the year amounted to 535 mm, the second lowest value in 20 years. Only 2005 was dryer (501 mm). Temperatures were well above the normal values from April to August included.
Water balance
2015 was a very dry year, punctuated by a rainy episode during the first fortnight of August. The vine still resisted very well to this drought. It sat very gradually during the first part of the season, and the vines were able to put adaption mechanisms in place. In early August, the water stress was nevertheless very strong on gravelly soils where stem potential values of -16 bars were recorded. Thanks to the rains of August, this major constraint has not switched to water stress, which could have been harmful for young vines on gravelly soils. From August 15, new dry conditions allowed the water deficit to widen again to early October. If one classifies vintages since 1952 from the driest to the wettest by the water balance calculation, 2015 is ranked 2nd on 64 at 30th of September.
Growing season
| Phenological stages | |
|---|---|
| Bud break | 13/04/2015 |
| Flowering | 01/06/2015 |
| Veraison | 25/07/2015 |
| Harvest | 2nd and 3rd Spetember |
After a very late bud-break, in mid-April, the vine grows rapidly and homogeneously. The dry and warm spring weather makes it possible to make up for the delay and a complete (without sagging) and homogeneous flowering, at the beginning of June. The vintage is very dry overall, and produces small, concentrated, and very sweet berries. Leaf pulling on the rising sun side, now a ritual of the team, allowed to homogenize the maturation and to attenuate the “varietal” aspect of Sauvignon to give birth to floral, fruity and mineral juices. The balance of the pressed juices impresses us by their richness in sugar (14,7% vol), well balanced by a straight and forthright acidity. The pure and fresh aromatics, from the racking onwards, leaves us hope for an exceptional potential. The few plots already in production (4 of the 13 plots of the domain) allows a fairly gathered harvest on the 2nd and 3rd of September.
| Yield | |
|---|---|
| Sauvignon Blanc | 27 hL/ha |
Features of the vintage
Ripening and yields
| Bottling data | |
| Date of the bottling | 30th May 2017 |
| Quantities | 3865 bottles & 127 magnums |
| Production | 31 Hl |
| Analysis | |
| Degree of alcohol | 14° |
| Total acidity | 4,25 g/L |
| Volatile acidity | 0,45 g/L |
| pH | 3,10 |
| Total SO2 | 78 mg/l |
| Turbidity | 1,2 |
Cellar work
At the end of the pressing, the gently settled musts are fermented in demi- muids and wooden vats (15 and 25 h).
At the end of vinification, the lees stirring, at first daily, diminish until reaching a weekly stirring at Christmas. The wines, blended in February, continue their ageing for 18 months. They are then racked in vats, for stabilization, fining and clarification in order to be bottled on the 30th of May 2017. This vintage, great in quality, is small by its quantity: 3 865 bottles and 127 magnums were produced.
Blend : 100 % sauvignon blanc
Tasting
Le Petit Cheval blanc 2015 presents a light green, bright and clear robe. The first nose, very focused on citrus, reveals little by little notes of white fruits (pear…) and yellow fruits (peach, pineapple…). The florality, essential to the nose of any great white wine, is then expressed fully in aeration: linden, lilac, jasmine.
The pure and straight mouth widens towards a full, rich, fat and dense mid- palate. The fresh and sapid finish reveals an elegant bitterness, giving this wine a beautiful length.Le Petit Cheval blanc 2015 presents a light green, bright and clear robe. The first nose, very focused on citrus, reveals little by little notes of white fruits (pear…) and yellow fruits (peach, pineapple…). The florality, essential to the nose of any great white wine, is then expressed fully in aeration: linden, lilac, jasmine.
The pure and straight mouth widens towards a full, rich, fat and dense mid- palate. The fresh and sapid finish reveals an elegant bitterness, giving this wine a beautiful length.