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Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2020

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan
ColourWhite
TypeStill
Grape VarietySauvignon Blanc/Semillon

One of the truly great names of dry white Bordeaux. Chevalier Blanc has a loyal following and is a wine with an amazing ability to age despite being attractive in its youth. The 7 hectares of vines are planted with 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon.

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Label

Tasting Notes

A blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc opens with very serious scents of preserved lemons, kumquat, cedar, and chalk dust, leading to a fantastically fun undercurrent of passion fruit, orange blossoms, and sea spray. The palate is so, so tightly wound with tight-knit citrus, tropical, and mineral notes wrapped up in a silken-textured, racy frame, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of minerals. What a fascinating wine!

98
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, March 2023

Lots of blackcurrant, black cherry, lead pencil, ink, bark and black truffle on the nose. Full-bodied and very fine textured with silky tannins that are so layered and gorgeous. Fantastic length and depth. Clarity and transparency. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 5% petit verdot, and 5% cabernet franc. Best after 2029.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2023

Another terrific vintage for this wine, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc unwinds in the glass with aromas of nectarine, pear, nutmeg, passionflower and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, with racy acids and a bright, pure profile, it nips at the heels of the brilliant and somewhat racier, more refined 2019. Drik 2025-2045.

95
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, April 2023

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, the only white that I tasted from a dispatched barrel sample, has a discrete but complex bouquet with honeysuckle, chamomile, citrus fruit and light waxy aromas. It's quite understated but it responds to aeration. The palate is fresh on the entry, lightly spiced with modest weight. It does not possess the nervosité of the previous vintage, but it has concentration and presence. This is more a textural dry white Pessac than one that simply doles out tons of fruit or relies on tension. Very fine.

92
Neal Martin, vinous.com, February 2023

An excellent white with precision, flesh and confidence, sure to age well. A ton of white pear and some soft pepper spice keeps up the pace and lift from beginning to end, and the intensity continues to build after the wine has left the palate - a sure sign of something special happening. A yield of 43hl/ha. Tasted twice. Unusual for me to score the red and white Chevalier at the same level, but both are extremely successful in this vintage.

Drinking Window 2022 - 2032

95
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, May 2021

Full embossed bottle 1,330 g. Undated cask sample. 70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon. In conversion to organic viticulture. Fermented and aged for 18 months in barrel.
Subtle, salivatory, mineral nose. Quite rich and dense on the palate – lots more depth here than in most dry white Pessac-Léognans. Seems weightier and richer than most previous vintages. Builds towards the finish. On past form, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt regarding ageability. 13.5%
Drink 2023 – 2030

16.5+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2021

The 2020 is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon. Ripe citus and fresh grapefruit together on the nose with something more tropical and a hint of vanilla. The palate is tangy, lifted by bright acidity and driven by a saline backbone. There is some generous texture to be found underneath the fruit, which is largely citrus-based but also has a hint of melon. This feels ripe and solar on the finish.

92/94
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2021
Read more tasting notes...

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc was cropped at 43hl/ha and will spend 18 months in barrel. It has a very composed bouquet of green apple, kiwi fruit, crushed rock and dried white flower aromas. There is nothing extravagant on the nose, but it is beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine bead of acidity, displaying light honeyed notes on the entry mixed with chamomile and almond and hints of marzipan. Very harmonious from start to finish, this is a refined and classy Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. 2025 - 2050

91/93
Neal Martin, vinous.com, May 2021

A dense, creamy DC white with lots of rich cooked-apple, mineral, cream and praline character. It’s full and very layered with chewy intensity and a long, bitter-lemon and almost honey finish. Pretty phenolic tension, too.

96/97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2021

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc bursts with notions of ripe yellow apples, juicy pears and lime blossoms, plus hints of blanched almonds, yuzu zest and wet pebbles. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers impactful apple and citrus flavors with a racy backbone and seductive oiliness to the texture, finishing long and minerally. Drink 2025-2038.

94/96
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (79), May 2021
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.