2016 Le Petit Cheval Blanc

品飲筆記：色澤清透帶綠黃光澤，先是清晰的火石礦感，隨之綻放青檸、佛手柑等柑橘皮香，以及白桃、梨的成熟果肉氣息，並伴有洋槐和淡淡花香。入口脆爽多汁，前段活力十足，中段飽滿圓潤但仍被鮮明酸度牽引，橡木與澱粉攪拌（lees）處理帶來絲滑與豐富口感，收尾悠長且帶一抹迷人的微苦。
釀造手法：柔和壓榨後以新橡木桶（包含demi‑muid）與大型木桶發酵，發酵期內頻繁攪桶（初期每日），直到年末逐步減少為每週一次。之後在木桶與槽中完成調配、穩定與澄清，長時間木桶熟成使酒體更為圓潤但仍保留清新脈絡。
葡萄園與年份：果園位於白馬酒莊附近的砾石與火石土壤上，2016年春夏溫和並多雨，但從六月底開始轉為乾熱且日照充足、夜間涼爽，有助於累積風味與保持酸度。此酒產量有限，細緻的田間管理與嚴謹釀造打造出兼具礦感與豐滿口感的白酒，特別適合與油脂豐富的魚類或成熟奶酪搭配。

Tasting Note: Pale, crystalline with yellow-green highlights. The nose opens with a dominant flinty minerality—match tip and struck pebble—then reveals citrus zest (lemon, bergamot), delicate white stone fruit and acacia blossom. On the palate it arrives with a crunchy, juicy attack, a broad, silky mid‑palate and a bright, almost electric acidity that keeps the wine lively. Toasted oak and subtle lees influence add volume and a creamy texture while a long, savory finish shows attractive bitter lift.
Producer Notes: A standout vintage for Le Petit Cheval: complex, mineral-driven and refined, showing both immediacy and cellar potential. The team highlights white fruits and floral notes woven through a persistent mineral thread and a mid-palate fullness born of extended time in wood.
Winemaking: Gentle pressing and racking, fermentation in new oak (demi‑muids and larger barrels), regular bâtonnage beginning daily then tapering to weekly, followed by extended ageing (about 18–20 months) in wood before final blending, stabilization and bottling. The careful lees handling contributes silk and weight without losing fresh tension.
Vineyard & Vintage: Sourced from parcels adjacent to the estate on well-drained, flinty soils. The growing season combined early wet conditions with an exceptionally dry, sunny ripening period—warm days and cool nights—producing concentrated flavors and crisp natural acidity. Small production, meticulous attention to detail and classic cellar work result in a white of both energy and depth.

Specification

• Alcohol %: 14%
• Decant Time: 30-60 minutes
• Taste: flinty minerality, citrus (lemon, bergamot), white stone fruit (peach, pear), acacia & floral, herbal (sage, rosemary), toasted oak and leesy texture, crisp, electric acidity, silky mid-palate, long savory bitters finish
• Food Matching: Meaty and oily fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna), Swordfish or monkfish, Salmon en croûte, Pork neck, Livarot or washed-rind cheeses, Dishes with anchovy, capers or roasted peppers
• Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc : 100%, Merlot , Cabernet Franc ,

Winery

白馬酒莊是聖艾美濃最著名的酒莊之一，酒莊在皮耶爾·呂頓的管理下，擁有嚴謹的田間與釀造流程。副牌Le Petit Cheval取自鄰近主園的小地塊，採小量生產、重視橡木陳釀與澱粉攪拌等技術，用心呈現場址的細緻風土與風味層次。

Chateau Cheval Blanc—one of Saint‑Émilion’s most revered estates—applies the same meticulous approach to its secondary bottlings. Managed by Pierre Lurton and owned by Albert Frère and Bernard Arnault, the property blends tradition with modern cellarcraft. Le Petit Cheval is produced in small quantities from closely tended parcels near the grand vin and benefits from careful oak ageing, precise lees work and the estate’s long experience in expressing terroir-driven finesse.