2012 Chateau Cheval Blanc, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

2012 was a dry and rather warm year with a very nice late season.
Château Cheval Blanc 2012 is a very beautiful wine, with astonishing complexity even when young and great aromatic precision.

Weather conditions

TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION
The month of April was cool and very wet. Milder temperatures were recorded in May and June, but precipitation was significant until July 15. From mid-July a long period of fine, very dry weather set in. Between July 15 and September 20, only 30 mm of precipitation was recorded compared to more than 120 mm usually. At the end of September there were a few rainy episodes, but the whole month remained very dry overall (48 mm, compared to 81 mm in a normal year). At the beginning of October the weather was mild with showers, but the cumulative precipitation remained low during the first half of the month. The climatic conditions of 2012, with a rainy first half of the season and a very dry second half, are very similar to those recorded in 2000. The temperature profile is also surprisingly close between these two vintages. The average temperature over the growing period in 2012 was 18.5°C, or 0.6°C higher than normal.

WATER DIET
To develop ideally, the vine needs to experience a progressive water deficit during its growing cycle in order to allow optimal concentration of the grapes. The water regime of the vines was characterized in 2012 by the contrast between a very rainy spring and early summer, without any water constraints, and a dry end of the season with a marked water constraint. The water deficit is significant as of September 30, where 2012 ranks as the 6th driest vintage in 60 years, interspersed between 1989 and 1990 (a little drier) and 2000 and 2003 (slightly less dry). Even though there were several light rainy episodes at the time of harvest, the cumulative precipitation was very low during this period (19 mm).

VINE CYCLE
Budburst took place with a slight delay on the usual dates, March 30 for the Merlot grape variety, April 5 for the Cabernet Franc, and the development of the branches was very irregular during the month of April due to unfavorable climatic conditions.
Flowering started in good conditions at the end of May, but the end of flowering was disrupted by rain on June 2. What followed was a somewhat irregular and spread flowering. Mid-flowering was noted on June 1 for Merlot and June 2 for Cabernet Franc. The development of the vine was slow in June and July and veraison was reached a few days later than the usual dates (August 5 for Merlot, August 11 for Cabernet Franc). The good weather in August and September created excellent ripening conditions. The harvest began on September 27 for the Merlot and on October 6 for the Cabernet Franc. They continued until October 13. 2012 is therefore a fairly late year.

Phenological stages in 2012 Merlot
in 2012 Average 1994-2014 Cabernet franc
in 2012 Average
1994-2014
Bursting March 30 March 28 April 5 April 2
Bloom June 1st May 30 June 2 June 1st
Veraison 5 August August 2nd August 11 August 8
Start of the harvest September 27 September 19 October 6 September 27
End of the harvest October 8 September 27 October 13 October 5
Duration in days between…
Budburst and flowering 63 days 63 days 58 days 60 days
Flowering and veraison 65 days 64 days 70 days 68 days
Veraison and harvest 53 days 48 days 56 days 50 days

Particularity of the vintage

GRAPE MATURITY AND YIELD
The start of the cycle was difficult in 2012, due to heterogeneous budburst and flowering and strong mildew pressure. These concerns dissipated with the return to exceptionally favorable conditions from mid-July. Growth stopped at the beginning of August on most of the plots, creating good ripening conditions and the few rains which occurred at the end of September and the beginning of October (but without significant accumulation) did not affect the very good potential. which had been acquired until then and the health status remained very good until the end of the harvest.
The weight of the berries was close to average values ​​and the yield was slightly below average. The composition of the grapes was balanced, with good potential degrees but without excess and a good richness in phenolic compounds. Success was equal for Cheval Blanc's two main grape varieties, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
2012 undoubtedly ranks among the very good vintages of Cheval Blanc.

Yield (hl/ha) Average 96 – 14
Merlot 32.3 38.9
Cabernet Franc 32.8 34.2

WINEMAKING AND AGING
The Cheval Blanc 2012 has not undergone any bleeding or enrichment. Without press wine, it was aged only in new oak barrels for 18 months.
Gluing with egg white was used to fix the suspended particles. 2 eggs per barrel were used which were then separated from the wine by filtration.


Alcoholic degree 13.5
Total Acidity (g H 2 S04/L) 3.10
Volatile Acidity (g H 2 SO4/L) 0.36
pH 3.67
Total SO2 (mg/L) 110
Reducing sugars (g/L) 1.7
IPT (DO280) 63

The tasting

April 15, 2015
Château Cheval Blanc 2012 is an astonishing vintage for the complexity of the aromatic palette that it offers to tasters from a very young age. The purple-red color is deep with mauve highlights. The nose, of great aromatic purity, is characterized by an astonishing complexity at this stage. Red fruits (raspberries, crunchy cherries) mingle with black fruits (blackcurrant jam, blackberries, blueberries). The floral register is delicate with notes of roses and violets. The freshness (fresh mint, eucalyptus) and minerality (graphite, chalk) complete a very lively aromatic palette. The entire nose, concentrated, is characterized by a very particular aromatic brilliance, of great purity where the aging remains imperceptible... A sign that the vintage will be great. The frank and powerful attack gives way to a mid-palate where the density and firmness of the tannins are blended into an unparalleled smoothness. The structure of the wine continues with the racy and elegant texture accompanied by fresh and complex aromas. The incredible length of this wine is found in a coated and delicate finish giving the feeling that the wine is flying away and disappearing imperceptibly and without the slightest jerk... A chiseled wine which reveals itself to be gourmand, complex and of exceptional length for a Saint-Emilion so young.