Intense, indelible, with layer upon layer of blueberry, raspberry, pomegranate, fennel, liqourice, crayon, espresso, crushed rocks, just so much character and poise. The driest year at Cheval Blanc since 1959, with 71% of production from the 39ha estate in this wine, technical director Pierre Olivier Clouet. This continues to be bottled as Premier Grand Cru Classé A until the 2022 vintage, following its withdrawal from the ranking,which will make an interesting footnote for collectors I would imagine, but makes zero difference to the brilliance of what is in the bottle.

Retasting this in June, so just a few months after my initial En Primeur tasting, and once again the ovreall feeling is that this is a nuanced, concentrated and briliant wine at the top level of what we find from Cheval Blanc. Long-limbed and holding on tight, this is layered with fennel, cassis, raspberry, mint leaf, violets and peonies. Plenty of tannins, as you would expect from such a dry year, but they are full of life, with acidity that pulls the palate forward from the first moment. 71% of overall production. The driest year at Cheval Blanc for 50 years. A potential 100 points when tasted in bottle in 2022.

The 2020 Cheval Blanc has a limpid deep people hue with noticeable tears in the glass. The bouquet demands several minutes to really open, delivering a payload of intense black cherry and blueberry fruit, pressed violet, a hint of licorice and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, and quite dense and weighty in the mouth, though not sinewy. Everything is finely proportioned and multilayered, leading to a mineral-driven finish. This is a very serious, long-term Cheval Blanc with a glorious future ahead, though it would be wise to cellar this for a decade if you can resist temptation.

So much complexity and layers, wonderfully fragrant, raspberry, damson fruits with points of orange and mandarin peel that give flecks of minerality and bitterness in the best way. Balanced acidities, and a serious architecture all combine to give a brilliant brillant Petit Cheval that has improved over ageing and is one to look out for. 39ha, director Pierre Lurton, winemaker Pierre Olivier Clouet. 12% of overall production because the dry summer was tough on the young vines on gravel. 3.7ph.