2006 Le Petit Cheval

The harvest at Cheval Blanc took place between September 12 and 25, according to estate manager Pierre Lurton, who said that the trie carried out in the vines reflected "the Sauternes influence" (Chateau Yquem is under the same LVMH ownership). The production was ultimately just 30 hectoliters per hectare, and Lurton told me that the cabernet franc on clay did not suffer dilution from the persistent September rains even though it was harvested at the end. Extraction was gentle, with the fermentation temperature held to 28oC and total cuvaison just 21 days, as Cheval got less post-fermentation maceration than usual. Incidentally, the 2006 Yquem looks to be one of the rare stars of a very tricky vintage, as the harvest here started on September 6 (the earliest since 1893, according to Lurton) and the estate had brought in 100 barrels' worth of juice by September 15. The best fruit, said Lurton, came in between September 8 and 15.