Château Cheval Blanc 'Le Petit Cheval' 1992

The 1992 Le Petit Cheval is the second wine from one of Bordeaux's most prestigious châteaux. This is his report.

Since the 1988 vintage, Le Petit Cheval is the second wine cuvée of the legendary Château Cheval Blanc. This year, however, the harvest coincided with a turbulent chapter in the history of Bordeaux: the 1992 Le Petit Chevalis a wine that, despite the most adverse conditions and a reputation that could never quite live up to that of its big brother, writes a fascinating chapter in the history of winegrowing thanks to its aromatic complexity.

🍇 Introduction: A second wine that defied the storms

The weather in 1992 was characterised by extreme contrasts: a warm, sunny May gave way to a rainy June with 200 mm of rainfall, followed by a hot but humid August. While other wineries struggled, the Cheval Blanc team managed to produce an aromatic and appealing wine of considerable complexity through rigorous manual sorting . The winemakers' efforts were remarkable.

👃 Wine description & aromas: A tribute to tertiary flavours

With over 30 years of ageing in the bottle, the 1992 Le Petit Cheval has largely shed its primary fruit and now reveals a ripe tertiary bouquet:

• Colour: In the skin, the wine presents itself in a tawny brown-ruby with a watery edge; in poorly stored bottles, the colour can already slide into brownish garnet.

• Nose: The bouquet is complex and mature: intense aromas of leather, dark chocolate, vanilla, smoke and fine tobacco. Later, notes of clove, dried rose petals, forest floor, pepper, cranberry and a hint of mint join in. The tart notes of redcurrant and meat stock round off the olfactory impression.

• Palate: The palate reveals a rather light to medium-bodied structure, which is to be expected at this age. The tannins are very soft and well integrated. Despite a rather short finish, the wine is full of elegance and charm.

📝 Critics' ratings at a glance

The following table summarises the most important reviews from recent years:

🍽️ Food recommendation

The soft tannin structure and earthy complexity of the 1992 Le Petit Cheval predestine it for classic, down-to-earth cuisine. It is an excellent accompaniment to:

• Grilled or braised beef (e.g. a hearty beef brisket or roast beef).

• Game dishes such as saddle of venison or leg of venison. The Château itself recommends dishes such as "Magret de canard aux myrtilles" or a classic "Gigot de sept heures " (lamb braised for seven hours).

• Ripe hard cheese (e.g. Comté or Mimolette), whose nutty notes complement the tobacco and leather flavours of the wine wonderfully.

• Serving temperature: Enjoy the wine at around 16-18 °C.

📦 Price & drinking window: A final chapter

The 1992 Le Petit Cheval is a wine whose window of opportunity is finally beginning to close:

• Drinking maturity: Most sources agree that the wine haspassed its peak. It should therefore no longer be stored, but enjoyed in the near future.

• Price: The average global market price (excluding taxes) for a 0.75 litre bottle is around 248 US dollars. Prices of around € 175.00 are common on the open market .

💎 Conclusion: A second wine with its own charms

The 1992 Le Petit Chevalis much more than a simple second wine. It is a testimony to the remarkable art of winemaking, which can create an elegant, complex and multi-layered flavour experience even under the most difficult conditions. Anyone looking for a mature Bordeaux with pronounced tertiary flavours should try this wine - a piece of living wine history that has already reached its peak.