Le Petit Cheval Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2010

Now drinking beautifully: the 2010 Petit Cheval is widely considered one of the greatest second wines ever made at Château Cheval Blanc, from one of Bordeaux’s all-time vintages. Roughly three-quarters Merlot with the rest Cabernet Franc, made with about thirty percent of the estate’s production. Fifteen years on, the wine is in a gorgeous place — deep garnet, with warm black cherry, boysenberry, plum, mocha, and cigar box, the tannins resolved into a firm-yet-silken frame, the finish long and perfumed. A rare chance to drink Cheval Blanc-trained Merlot at full maturity.