| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This much respected property in Pessac-Léognan is run with great care by Olivier Bernard whose family took it over from Claude Ricard in 1983. During the 1980s and 1990s there was a major programme of replanting here and since the early 2000s, with the vines reaching maturity, the quality here has returned to that of the great vintages of the 1940s and 1950s. Without doubt, the best vintages of Chevalier are the most recent ones. Domaine de Chevalier performs brilliantly every year now and is a regular star of our blind tastings. It wins its flight at the blind "Southwold" tasting with impressive regularity. However, prices have remained reasonable. This is always one of our best-selling wines en primeur.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Domaine de Chevalier
The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier, which was cropped at 38hl/ha, is deep purple with glints of blue. The bouquet is very clean, precise and focused, not dissimilar to the impressive Malartic Lagravière that I tasted alongside, touches of wet granite and truffle emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. This Domaine de Chevalier has a deeply impressive structure counterbalanced by equally impressive freshness and elegance, fanning out wonderfully on the finish, which is very persistent. Just a shade off the outstanding 2019... perhaps. 2026 - 2058
Iron, black mushroom and dark berry with some burnt orange peel. Flowers, too. It’s full-bodied with round tannins that turn linear and tight at the end. Excellent energy. Brightness and purity.
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier comes skipping out of the glass with energetic scents of ripe red and black currants, fresh blackberries and boysenberries, plus nuances of wild sage, cloves and cedar with a waft of lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate surprises and delights with an unexpected richness and depth that remains locked away on the nose, revealing layers of fragrant earth and floral notions framed by fantastic freshness and firm, finely grained tannins, finishing with the most gorgeous, long-lingering perfume. Drink 2026-2053.
Concentrated ruby red colour, a little subdued on the nose, built with structure and power, concentrated and should age well. Classical, powerful, not exuberant, an impressive Chevalier that has tannins and fruit and freshness, nothing shouting too loud. As it opens, you see a peony floral edge that is very attractive. Easily among the best in Pessac. A yield of 38hl/ha.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2042
Full bottle 1,360 g, Cask sample taken 6 April. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.
Spicy nose. Pretty saline and mineral on the palate – non flashy but with lots locked in there. And no shortage at all of tannin but it's ripe enough. Very much a work in progress but with a certain lusciousness of embryonic fruit. 13.5%
Drink 2030 – 2050
The 2020 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot that will be aged in barrel for 18 months. Deep ruby colour. Ripe, juicy cherry, plum and cassis on the nose. The palate follows, with toasty red and black fruit. Silky, ripe tannins bring a full but ripe structure to the wine. Persistent and juicy through to the finish.
(65% CS, 27% M, 5% PV, 3% CF; 38hl/ha; 13.5% ABV; 35% new)
Dense, tight, closed at present, but mineral, persistent, and fine to smell; rich but restrained, vital in acidity, very fine in tannin; a refined, poised, classy wine, long across the palate, packed with fresh, ripe red fruit, subtly infused with gravel aromas, graceful and very persistent. Another very fine Domaine de Chevalier red. 2028–50+.
