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Domaine de Chevalier

Domaine de Chevalier hides in a pine forest at the western edge of the region known since 1987 as Pessac-Léognan, the more northerly vineyards of Graves. This region is the frontline for the battle of vineyards against the suburbs of Bordeaux. At the northernmost point the two sit uncomfortably together, with the illustrious Chateau Haut-Brion and its counterparts - Laville-, La Mission- and Latour-Haut Brion - encircled by suburban streets. To the west, Chateau Pape-Clément has just a little more breathing space. Further south, past Chambery and Villenave d'Ornon, the majority of the chateaux and vineyards are to be found. Tucked away in the south-western corner, shielded by trees (which can make the property very difficult to locate when visiting) is Domaine de Chevalier.

Although many chateaux in the southern Médoc and Graves have centuries of history, this property dates only from the 18th century, and viticulture only significantly developed at Domaine de Chevalier during the 19th century, although the very first vines were planted long before that. As Bordeaux expanded and the Médoc was drained, opening up the gravelly terroirs of the left bank, one entrepreneur looked south instead of north to establish his vineyard. The man who planted vines on gravelly soils in amongst the trees was named Chibaley, and his venture was successful. His estate was not grand it seems, with small houses and outbuildings the most significant structures (although it is marked on the 1763 map of the region drawn up by Pierre de Belleyme) and he produced up to 15 tonneaux (1 tonneau is 900 litres) of wine per annum. Nevertheless, despite this apparent success things did not continue smoothly; by the early 19th century the land, which now appeared as Chevalier on the maps, fell into disuse, and the pine trees began to reclaim the vineyard.

Several decades passed before the land was to see serious viticulture again, and this came about as the estate was acquired by the Ricard family, successful barrel manufacturers from Léognan. Arnaud Ricard had purchased Malartic-Lagravière in 1850, and she was then looking to expand the family estate even further. They acquired the Chevalier land in 1865, when it was used mainly for agriculture and raising livestock, and the vines were of little importance. It was Jean Ricard that first extended the small vineyard, but it was his son-in-law Gabriel Beaumartin, who took control after Ricard's death in 1900, that began to build up the reputation of the wine with the help of Marcel Doutreloux as manager. The property remained with the Ricard family until 1983, eventually under the guidance of Claude Ricard who had taken control in 1948, and who saw Domaine de Chevalier produce some of its greatest wines - both red and white - during the mid-20th century. Domaine de Chevalier then passed, sadly due to disagreements within the Ricard family consequent upon the Napoleonic laws of inheritance, to Olivier Bernard, who at the time was best known as the owner of a distilling company. Although he did not bring great expertise concerning viticulture this was compensated for by Claude Ricard, who stayed on for many years as advisor, and whose children continue to work at the estate today.

The soil at Domaine de Chevalier is gravelly, as would be expected, with a depth of up to a metre in places, also with some dark sand, over a sandstone bedrock. This is nutritionally destitute soil, well drained, and therefore eminently suitable for the vine. Of 80 hectares there are currently 38 hectares planted up (of which 5 hectares are white varieties), the vines having an average age of 25 years, planted at a density of 10000 vines/ha on the usual rootstocks for Bordeaux, 101-14, 3309 and Riparia, and they are trained using the traditional Double Guyot method. The estate produces both red and white wines, as per the 1959 Graves classification. The white varieties are 30% Semillon and 70% Sauvignon Blanc; the red varieties are 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, the balance being 2.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.5% Petit Verdot. There is careful sorting during the harvest, with the white varieties picked by hand during several tries, both white and red go into small baskets, and the red is then sorted again on the table in the winery. Here the vinification is undertaken with advice from oenologist Denis Dubourdieu. The white grapes are pressed and are then fermented in oak barrels after the wine has settled. The reds undergo temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel vats of varying sizes followed by a cool maceration, limited to 30°C to 32°C, for up to three weeks to extract colour and tannin. The press wine may be blended back into the red, depending on the vintage, sometimes in considerable quantity. Both red and white wines see a period of time in oak, typically eighteen months, with 30% new barrels for the white with bâtonnage to mobilise the lees, 50% new oak for the red. Fining is egg white for the red, bentonite for the white, followed by a light filtration. The grand vin goes under the name of Domaine de Chevalier, whether it be white or red; the former is regarded by many as the greater of the two wines, and has a relatively small production of just 1200 cases. Meanwhile, there are 7000 cases of the red, as well as red and white second wines, 5800 and 800 cases respectively, both called L'Espirit de Chevalier.

During the Bernard era Domaine de Chevalier has either gone downhill to produce light and charmless wines, or has continued to produce classic wines of breed, balance and elegance, depending on which critic you follow. Opinions have differed, noticeably. Having tasted a few vintages I feel the latter more correctly describes the wines; these are structured, classically styled wines which need cellar time and do not necessarily flatter with plump fruit early on in their development. In fact, in very recent vintages they seem all the more superb, and whereas there are many estates that tend to be stronger on either the red or the white wine, at Domaine de Chevalier both can be excellent. Recent vintages such as 2006 show the fabulous appeal that the white can offer, but there have been many other vintages of note, for the red as well. My opinion is that this is undoubtedly a wine to buy with confidence. Unlike some wines I write about, this one has a place in my cellar. (27/10/04, updated 24/8/07)

Contact details:
Address: Domaine de Chevalier, 33850 Léognan
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 64 16 16
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 64 18 18
Internet: www.domainedechevalier.com

Domaine de Chevalier - Tasting Notes

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Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2008: This is pure, lifted and rich, showing plump pear and stone fruit. It has an elegantly polished character to it, and all seems in total harmony. There is a slightly greener edge to the fruit than is found in some of the bigger wines but I like that. The palate is full, stylish, with delightfully vibrant and lifted fruit notes, and intense and piercing freshness and vivacious acidity. Full of vigour, in combination with midpalate flesh, this is a brilliant effort. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17.5-18.5+/20 (April 2009)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2008: Sweet and smoky dark fruits, with a properly sweet sense to the fruit character. A textured palate, with good substance, and sweet plum and blackberry fruit. Balanced. A lovely ripe extract, good backbone, overall a fine and harmonious wine. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17-18+/20 (April 2009)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: This has an elegant nose with plenty of fine aromatics and bright fruit, but there is a suggestion of depth also. A good substance and a nice grip on the finish, with rather gentle acidity. This is attractive but at this stage it is not a patch on the supremely elegant 2006. From my 2007 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15.5-16.5+/20 (April 2008)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: This wine has immediate appeal on the nose, with a sweet depth of black cherry fruit, with smoky charcoal and nutty oak on the side. Cool, stylish and quite refreshing on the palate, with some substance, the barest touch of light cream. The tannins are ripe, and there is some substance to them. Overall, for the vintage this has a fleshy, impressive quality. Good effort. From a tasting of 2007 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 16+/20 (October 2009)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: Two samples assessed on different days. The first seemed inexpressive, but the second had more apparent, charcoaly fruit. Fresh, elegant style on the palate, ripe tannins, complete and nicely balanced. Not a heavily stuffed wine, but there is sufficient texture. A good effort here. From my 2007 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15-16+/20 (April 2008)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: A nose of vibrant white cream here, herby and aromatic, but it seems also very vinous, elegant, stylish, with a stony-mineral element. It is wonderfully expressive. The palate is rich and it has a charming presence in the mouth, with a clean and deep character, supported by good grip. It also has some good length. Truly excellent wine. From a tasting of 2006 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 18.5+/20 (October 2008)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: A brilliant nose here, vibrant and fresh, with a lifted and elegant style with perhaps a little grassiness at the side. Showing good finesse, integrated yet flashy and almost seductive. A lovely acid structure, stylish and impressive. This will do just fine in the cellar. From a tasting of 2006 White Graves. 18.5-19+/20 (April 2008)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: A vibrant, open, expressive nose, fresh with great depth. It has complex notes of spice and exotic fruits, with passion fruit, grapefruit and candied notes, all presented in a very broad and pleasing style. Full, with a moderate body, spicy, with a lovely structure. Firm, peppery acidity. Pleasing. Quickly fading finish but with age I suspect this will broaden out. Wonderful. One of the stars of the vintage. From my 2006 Bordeaux assessment. 18-19+/20 (April 2007)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: A dense colour and dense fruit here, with a creamy vanilla nose. The palate is supple, with ripe and fairly dense tannins, and a good acid backbone. This wine has substance but also elegance and this makes an excellent combination in a wine. There is a little flashy side to it but overall I think it really good, and much better than my initial impressions. From a tasting of 2006 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2008)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: This has slightly gamey fruit on the nose, and on the palate an appealing substance underpinned by a firm structure and a good acid bite. Attractive, flashy with lots of potential. This is showing very well, and has fine potential. From a Bordeaux 2006 assessment. 16-16.5+/20 (April 2008)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: An attractive nose, with some spicy, nutty fruit. The palate has a full, creamy style with some ripe, rather grainy tannins. It has moderate acidity. Attractive, although not the fresh and vibrant style I would like, but it has many good points. From my 2006 Bordeaux assessment. 15-16/20 (April 2007)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: This has a very pure and stylish nose, floral, leafy, creamy and quite direct in character. It remains aromatic and floral on the palate, with very bright fruit character, lifted by a very gentle acetone-pear drop character. Sweetly ripe, but vibrant and well defined, with forceful, vigorous acidity which lefts the wine to another level altogether. Beautiful presence. Clearly the most delicious dry white here, head and shoulders above its peers. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18.5+/20 (October 2007)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: A more reserved style, more dusty, but still ripe. Very pure, polished fruit. Elegant, raspberries and other red fruits. Rich though, a touch smoky too. Very full substance on entry, but pure and polished, very linear. Finely rounded and harmonious, with really fine-grained tannins and lovely, intense central fruit. Very complete. Impressive wine. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at four years of age. 17.5-18+/20 (November 2009)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: Exuberant fruit on the nose here, with a nutty edge. The palate follows on nicely from this unassuming start, with a layer of pure, rather crunchy, blackcurrant and cranberry fruit which is very well framed, very precise and complete. The fruit and texture cover very nicely the firm, tannic backbone and the grip of ripe tannins only becomes apparent at the end. This has lovely potential. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18+/20 (October 2007)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: As with last years sample of the 2003 this is quite closed, showing little more than a faint crispness. The palate clearly shows that this is built for the cellar; balanced, elegantly textured, sappy but reserved, vaguely nettly through the midpalate but rounding out with a flourish of flavour on the finish. Potentially very good indeed. From my 2004 Bordeaux assessment. 17.5+/20 (October 2006)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: The buttery oak has faded here, revealing an interesting and more complex nose. It has some warm and spicy fruit, with nuances of menthol and liquorice, and there is a trace of greenness to the fruit too. The same character can be found on the palate, which has a gentle light-cream texture with soft fruits and a little hint of celeriac, elements I haven't seen on the two occasions I have previously tasted this wine. Very restrained in terms of substance, good grip, and a nice peppery length, but it seems very much like one for the classicists I feel. From my assessment of 2004 Bordeaux at four years. 16.5+/20 (November 2008)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: A lovely nose here, a mix of fresh fruit and nutty oak. Quite flashy, still some oak showing, but not so buttery any longer, and there is a lovely style hidden beneath it, a fine grip and appropriate texture too. This is delicious, with a fine, well defined presence on the palate. It will make lovely drinking for many. From a tasting of 2004 Bordeaux. 17+/20 (April 2007)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: This has a dark, floral, gravelly fruit nose, with little notes of sweet blackberries and butter. Full and rounded style on entry, evolving to a gravelly, mineral character through the midpalate. Firm tannins, nicely composed, not at all overdone. Fine, fresh acidity. This has very good potential. From my 2004 Bordeaux assessment. 17+/20 (October 2006)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2003: This has more interest than the Carbonnieux on the nose, with more obvious minerally fruit. But the palate is soft, unfocused and flabby. There is some grip to it, but the acidity, and the verve, is lacking. Another to avoid. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 12.5/20 (October 2005)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 2003: A subtle and yet rather exotic character to the nose here, with a peppery quality. There is finesse here; this has an elegant style on the palate, with just a creamy edge to it. There are firm, rather masculine tannins although quite well knitted into the structure of the wine. Very firm, appealing style which has been really well assembled. Lots of potential here. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 17+/20 (October 2005)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 1996: Red purple hue, very dense. Mature, earthy perfumed nose. The palate is truly very impressive; packed with sweet, maturing, claretty fruit. Soft and ripe tannins, correct acidity. Great grip in the finish. Classic style. Needs five years cellar time as a minimum. From a Graves tasting. 17.5+/20 (October 2004)

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 1995: A rich golden hue in the decanter, where this wine rested for two hours before tasting. Initially served at about 8°C (better too cool than too warm), but allowed to warm significantly in the glass. The nose is reserved and linear, not tight but certainly tightly framed, with nuances of pear and lime fruit intermingled with polished acacia wood. The palate is substantial, vigorous, well defined as the nose suggested, broadening out a little in the midpalate to reveal a richer character, warm and yet firmly composed. The finish is delightful, with a little grip here, but also evolved, slightly honeyed lime and wood. It is also very long. Delicious, and ready now, although there is no urgent rush to drink up. From a 1995 Bordeaux tasting. 17.5+/20 (March 2010)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 1995: Probably one of the least reassuring wines straight out of the bottle, although it does open up in the decanter to show what it's made of. A nice mature hue, with oxblood tones, but not the densest of wines. Although it holds onto its lean and mean character for some time, it does eventually reveal some soot and charcoal aromas, followed by some slightly diffuse but undeniable black cherry notes, with a certain crystalline edge. There's also a little vanilla pod and a floral element to it as well. Rather lean on entry but there is a substance here, giving the midpalate a little flesh, although it seems rather lost, as it the texture is all concentrated in the middle, the edges rather more dilute. Good clean style though, with somewhat over-obvious slightly structure; it would work much better with food I think, otherwise leave well alone for now. From a 1995 Bordeaux tasting. 16+/20 (March 2010)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 1995: Deep red, dense hue. Earthy fruit nose, a touch metallic. Firm, structured palate. Plenty of tannic structure and acidity here. Firm fruit. Very youthful grip and has plenty of potential. Needs five to ten years - possibly more. From a Graves tasting. 17+/20 (October 2004)

Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan) 1988: Showing some maturity here. Good colour, bricking a little at the rim. Mature, gravelly, sweet perfumed fruit on the nose. A touch metallic. Big, full, sweet palate, with piles of fruit and plenty of tannin. Correct acidity. Showing some development but will improve for an impressive five to ten years yet. From a Graves tasting. 17.5+/20 (October 2004)