Domaine de la Chevalerie, 2026 Update
After yesterday’s miniscule tasting report on few wines from Domaine de la Butte, I continue with another set of Bourgueil tasting notes from another of the appellation’s leading domaines.
Domaine de la Chevalerie is arguably the flagship domaine for the Bourgueil appellation. A highly regarded name in the region, the domaine came to prominence in the mid-20th century under the direction of Pierre Caslot (1952 – 2014), the scion of a long line of viticulturalists, his family tree stretching back over close to four centuries. Pierre was a larger-than-life figure who did an enormous amount to promote the wines of the domaine and the appellation as a whole, one aspect of which was the creation of Bourgueillothérapie. This annual celebration of all things Bourgueil – mainly food and wine, but with a little art, music and camaraderie thrown in for good measure – was a hugely popular event which brought the gaze of many onto the appellation. This was essential as at the point of its creation the appellation had recently left InterLoire (thus divorcing itself from the region’s major publicity machine).
Sadly, for tragic reasons, Bourgueillothérapie came to an abrupt end; if I have my dates correct, the last edition was 2015. But its that is a story for another time.
Pierre Caslot passed away in 2014, having lost a long battle with cancer. Of his offspring two figures stepped up, the first of which was the charming Stéphanie Caslot (1979 – 2021), accompanied by her brother Emmanuel. I met Stéphanie several times, and was always enchanted. Tragically, she too was lost to us, cancer again, in 2021. That left Emmanuel who has been joined by another sibling, Laurie Caslot (both are pictured below). Having met them a couple of times over the past two years (the photograph actually comes from the 2025 Salon des Vins de Loire, but I tasted with Laurie again earlier this year) I confirm that this pair exude the same joie de vivre I once saw in Pierre and Stéphanie.
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