Domaine de la Chevalerie, 2015 Update
Domaine de la Chevalerie is located on the slopes of Bourgueil, above Restigné. When thinking of the domaine the name that still trips off my tongue with so much ease is that of the patriarch, Pierre Caslot, but to my great dismay Pierre passed away just a few weeks ago. He was just 62 years old. Pierre had already handed over the running of the domaine to his two children, Stéphanie and Emmanuel, collectively the 14th generation of the family to take charge here. They have much to be proud of in their father. A dedicated individual who was married to his land and his vines, Pierre Caslot was an immensely popular and much-loved character; the fact that it was a vigneron upstream in Vouvray who telephoned me to tell me he had died, only the next day, is a good indication of the extent of his influence and of the respect he commanded. I have no doubt though that Stéphanie and Emmanuel will continue the great work he and twelve previous generations of the Caslot family have undertaken here.
The vineyards have been managed according to biodynamic philosophies since 2009 (with Demeter certification in 2011), and there is a fairly non-interventionist approach in the cellar, with fermentation by indigenous yeasts and minimal use of sulphur dioxide throughout. The wines can broadly be divided into two, first the single-vineyard cuvées known as the Cuvées Parcellaires, including Bretêche, Chevalerie, Galichets, Busardières and Le Peu Muleau. Then there are the Cuvées Spéciales, blended or selected wines which do not reflect any one particular lieu-dit, such as Bonn’Heure and Diptyque. The domaine is renowned for holding back old vintages, and so it is not unusual to see vintages from ten or even twenty years previous poured at a tasting.
Please log in to continue reading: