| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Domaine de Chevalier
Made from an unusual blend for this great estate, the 2013 Domaine de Chevalier is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot (no Petit Verdot), and the total production was less than half of normal. The wine achieved 13% natural alcohol, but yields were frightfully low. The result is an outstanding effort in this frequently disappointing, average quality vintage. The wine possesses a deep plum/ruby color as well as a sweet bouquet of incense, charcoal, red and black currants, and loamy soil. Medium-bodied with good texture, depth and purity, sweet tannins, and present but unobtrusive acidity, it should drink nicely for 12-15 years. Once again, it proves that Domaine de Chevalier often accomplishes impressive things in so-called ""off"" vintages.
The 2013 Domaine de Chevalier has a refined bouquet, laid back and languorous with blackberry, briary notes, a touch of bay leaf developing in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp, quite edgy tannin, nicely balanced and fresh with a simple but harmonious finish. It's the kind of 2013 that you'll just enjoy as a fine Claret, leaving you with a smile on your face. This constitutes a very commendable effort in such a challenging vintage, the bottom line being that it is one of the most pleasurable releases in 2013.
Spice and tobacco character with berry and coffee undertones. Medium to full body, silky tannins. Seamless and integrated for the vintage.
A blend 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot picked between from the end of September up to around the 15 October, the Domaine de Chevalier has a toasty bouquet with dark chocolate scents that seem more pronounced compared to previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of greenness in the background. This is a broody, introspective Domaine de Chevalier, with good weight on the dry, gritty finish, but I feel it is missing its usual flair...at the moment. I strongly suspect that it will mellow and demonstrate more pizzazz by the time of bottling as this 2013 has impressive persistency, but it needs to really get hold of that oak. Tasted April 2014.
