Chateau Cheval Blanc - Le Petit Cheval 2011

17,5 JANCIS ROBINSON: "Heavy bottle. 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 55% new oak (less than usual). Deep cherry red. Beautiful restraint and that wonderful, gentle freshness. Gliding tannins, no sweetness, though there´s fragrant fruit, and I cannot avoid the word mineral. Very very sublte. Not especially aromatic. Utterly tender and fine. Not powder, not dusty, just so refined. The wine disappears gently on the finish evanescent rather than short. (JH)" 17 RENÈ GABRIEL´S BX TOTAL: "Dunkles Granat, recht satt in der Mitte, rubiner Rand. Florales Bouquet mit dezenten Honignoten, helles Hirschleder. Saftiger, gebundener Gaumen, eine herrliche Süsse zeigend, nahe am Kompottigen aber auch schön gewürzt, sodass es hier eine schöne Balance gibt." 91 WINE ENTHUSIAST: "The second wine of Château Cheval Blanc is packed with wood flavors and spice. A toasty wine, it also has solid tannins plus fragrant fruitiness. Already the fruit is coming through strongly and it is for medium-term aging. Drink from 2017." 90-91 JAMES SUCKLING: "This is well done for the second wine of Cheval with orange peel and chocolate with hints of hazelnut. Full to medium body, with fine tannins and a lovely finish. This is the first year that the wines of Cheval were made parcel by parcel in the new winery." 90 WINESPECTATOR: "Polished, offering good mouthfeel to the layers of fig sauce, crushed plum and licorice. Judicious toast frames the finish, with a hint of charcoal adding length. A little lighter than when tasted from barrel, but still balanced and refined without trying too hard. Drink now through 2020."