98-99 Point Wines

wines

This is very tight and rich with dried apple, mango and papaya, yet it’s bright and floral. Full body, dense fruit and a long, powerful finish. Really open already but complex and beautiful with a richness and intensity that is very, very impressive.James Suckling | 98 JSDrinking nicely, with some maturity yet still youthful, the 2009 Domaine De Chevalier offers gorgeous red and black currant fruits, smoked tobacco, damp earth, and cedary spice. Full-bodied, opulent, and undeniably sexy on the palate, with a great mid-palate and sweet tannins. Displaying good balance as well as ripe tannins, its dense, opulent profile is going to continue to evolve for another 30 years or more. Don’t be afraid to open bottles, though – it’s sensational today. The blend of the 2009 is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDRemains deep damson in colour even at nearly 10 years old, and on the attack you find full and true blackberry cassis and bilberry notes, we are really building up layers and complexity on the nose. Gorgeous wine, just beautiful balance and juiciness, and a silken texture to the fruit, tannins that support without ever being intrusive, no question this can age. Tannins are deceptive because they build over the palate. Tobacco and walnut on the finish, I look forward to watching this develop further over the next few years. Drinking Window 2019 - 2035.Decanter | 96 DECIn late 2011, I had the last bottle in my cellar of the 1970 Domaine de Chevalier. Much to my surprise, it was still holding on to life and remained gorgeously complex in that ethereal Graves style. The 2009, one of the finest Domaine de Chevaliers yet produced, reveals a striking bouquet of burning embers, sweet cherry, black and red currant fruit, spice box, cedar and lead pencil shavings. The tannins are sweet in this fleshy, full-bodied offering. It is built on the notion of extraordinary harmony, elegance and complexity. While not the most concentrated or flamboyant 2009, its intense aromas are already reasonably evolved and its lusciousness and balance are terrific. Made from an interesting blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, its yields of 45 hectoliters per hectare were slightly higher than many of its neighbors achieved. Drink it over the next 25 years.Robert Parker | 95 RPDominating aromas of smoky new wood follow through to the toasty flavor that covers the fruit at this stage. But, like all 2009s, this is a rich wine that will balance out and show all of its opulence. That said, it will likely always be a firm, ageworthy wine, with the dark tannins always in evidence.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2009 Domaine de Chevalier has a vivacious, almost exotic bouquet with lavish black fruit, mint, oregano and cedar that all gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, ripe black fruit laced with white pepper and even a faint touch of Szechuan pepper. This displays exquisite balance and the finish feels deep and satisfying, clearly born in a great vintage. Tasted blind at the Domaine de Chevalier vertical at the property.Vinous Media | 94 VMVery rich, but sleek and pure, with beautiful mouthfeel and layers of enticing fig, steeped blackberry and warm currant confiture nicely stitched with black tea and mesquite. The long finish has a tarry underlay, but stays polished. Approachable for its mouthfeel, but has the balance to age nicely.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a thrilling wine. Dense and beautifully layered, the 2016 is also quite a bit richer than it usually is. Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and structure pulse through the wine. The red-toned fruit is incredibly primary at this stage. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2016 for at least a handful of years. It has been nothing short of magnificent on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGAs to the reds, the 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that saw an extended maceration, malo in barrel, and 18 months in just 35% new French oak. This deep purple-hued beauty boasts a powerful bouquet of tobacco smoke, damp earth, gravelly, rocky minerality, wood smoke, and loads of dark fruits. Full-bodied, deep, concentrated yet incredibly elegant and seamless on the palate, it’s a legendary Chevalier in the making. While I rated this as high as 99 points on one of the four separate occasions I was able to taste it, I’m being conservative with the score. it has some upfront charm but needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for 3-4 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDAromas of blackberries, red and dark plums, cedar and gravel, as well as red flowers and brown-leaf tea. It offers a very sleek and powerful array of ripe dark fruit and a very plush, focused and elegant bed of fresh, fine and powerful tannins. Plenty of aging potential, this is still quite tight. A blend of 55 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 35 per cent merlot, five per cent cabernet franc and five per cent petit verdot. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 97 JSThe core of fruit flavor here is sappy and dense, with lots of kirsch, raspberry pâte de fruit and plum reduction notes, yet this stays fresh and racy overall, with a bright iron spine, flashes of tea and tobacco and a long finish that shows a wonderful infusion of alder and tobacco flavors. Offers a lovely combination of prodigious fruit details, with a tug of earth. Best from 2024 through 2038. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThis elegant wine wears its firm tannic structure lightly. It is densely textured, just starting on its road to maturity. Black-plum and berry fruits give the wine its weight as much as the tannins. It will age well over many years. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis is so young right now, which seems crazy to say for a white wine, I know. But at two years old it has hardly begun to gather us to its side, let alone reveal its secrets. This will clearly have plenty to show in a few years’ time - white peach and pear flavours, and a gorgeous texture of slate caught against saline minerality. This is going to age, and then some. It has closed down since 2016 En primeur. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rocks up with expressive warm plums, blueberry compote and cassis scents with suggestions of sandalwood, baking spices and potpourri. Medium-bodied and delicately styled yet with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, it sports restrained earth-laced fruit and a long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

The white of the vintage is the 2016 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, which comes from a high-density planting of 30-year-old vines located west and south of the town of Léognan. A blend of 75% Sauvignon and 25% Sémillon raised in 35% new barrels, it offers a massive bouquet of crushed citrus, salty minerality, white flowers, and grapefruit. Racy, full-bodied, concentrated and beautifully textured, it’s a brilliant wine that has more flesh and texture than the 2015 and will keep for two decades or more. Hats off to the team at Domaine de Chevalier for this brilliant, brilliant white!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDStill very shy on the nose, but the candied citrus, fresh melon, pear and quince notes come through on the palate, together with discreet, toasty oak. Although this is really concentrated, the power is underplayed and the enormous, herbal and mineral depth steals up on you slowly and then whisks you away. You could enjoy it now, but there’s enormous aging potential. A blend of 70 per cent sauvignon and 30 per cent semillon. Try in 2021.James Suckling | 98 JSThis luscious wine from old-vine Sauvignon Blanc is filled out even further by the 30% Sémillon in the blend. It is rich in feel and intense in a white fruit flavor, with touches of spice from the wood aging. It is fresh and textured on the finish. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEIntense and focused. 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon. Oak imparts extra complexity to this wonderfully concentrated wine. Restrained and refined yet powerful. A great vintage and benchmark Pessac-Léognan white. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2016 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc has a well-defined bouquet of white peach, apricot and light candle wax aromas and nicely integrated oak. The well-balanced palate leads with quince and orange peel on the entry, revealing a pleasant bitter undertow and fanning out with confidence toward the saline finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis flirts with a tropical hint, as peach and nectarine details peek in on the core of meringue, lemon peel, shortbread, melon and yellow apple fruit flavors. Heather and macadamia nut notes gild the finish, which is rounded along the edges but still racy through the middle. This needs a little time to settle in fully. Best from 2021 through 2030. 1,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe Domaine de Chevalier 2016 Blanc is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon. The nose reveals spiced pears, waxy lemons, honeysuckle and yuzu with wafts of lime juice and green guava. Medium-bodied with great intensity and elegance, it has a racy line cutting through the citrus and tropical layers, finishing long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

This is really powerful and structured with superb muscle and phenolic tension. Yet, it’s formed and polished, layered and dense. Full-bodied, but energetic and focused. Vibrant acidity. Goes on for minutes. Citrus, stone, straw, salt and chalk. Incredible. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 98 JSThe grand vin, the 2017 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc is a more serious, concentrated, medium to full-bodied effort that has awesome notes of crushed citrus, white peach, lemon zest, and obvious minerality. With a touch of background oak, a great mid-palate, and stunning balance, give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis shows a gently buttered frame around a core bristling with white peach, gooseberry, tangerine and verbena notes. Exhibits weight, tension and detail, with tarragon, chamomile and fleur de sel accents skittering through the finish. Seriously long and built to age. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Best from 2021 through 2032.Wine Spectator | 96 WSDomaine de Chevalier 2017 Pessac-Léognan. This wine is dense, with concentrated spice plus rich white and kiwi fruits. Acidity is prominent, giving the wine impressive fruitiness and aging potential as suggested by the texture and wood flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEClosed on the nose to begin, the Domaine de Chevalier 2017 Blanc (composed of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon) opens to aromas of ripe pears, Golden delicious apples and white peaches with notions of straw, honeysuckle and chalk. Medium-bodied, the palate is seriously intense and racy with loads of mineral sparks on the finish. It was aged for 16 months in French oak, 35% new.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA wine of noble breeding and class, the 2017 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc dazzles from start to finish. Dried flowers, chamomile, mint and citrus confit struggle to emerge, buried by the wine’s sheer richness and concentration. The 2017 needs at least a few years in bottle to come together, but that won’t be an issue for a wine that will drink well for several decades.Antonio Galloni | 94+ AGSlightly reticent on the nose, with subtle creaminess and savoury spice. Full-bodied and opulent in style with vibrant acidity. (Drink between 2021-2028)Decanter | 90 DEC

The Grand Vin 2020 Domaine De Chevalier ratchets everything up another notch and will be one of the legendary wines from this address. Notes of pure cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and scorched earth define its incredible aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. This is pure, classic, regal Pessac-Léognan is as good as anything in the vintage. Give bottles 4-6 years and it will evolve for 50, 60, 70+ years. I absolutely love this wine. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDIron, 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.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is brilliant. Bright, poised and wonderfully pure, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier marries the radiance of the year with tremendous freshness. Red cherry fruit, blood orange, mint, star anise and cinnamon all meld together. The 2020 is a wine built on aromatic presence and persistence, more so than heft, with all the elements very nicely balanced. What a wine! Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 96 VMBright red fruits, creamy and deliciously textured - full, ripe and round but so well controlled. Vibrant and vivid yet balanced and sleek, you want to drink this now with great acidity and cool blue fruit touches and stony minerality. Tannins are present and mouthfilling but grippy and supportive not overwhelming. Feels stylish and really so drinkable. A great effort!Decanter | 96 DECThis impressively rich wine is centered on great swathes of black fruits. The tannins, with their stylish swagger, are a fine complement to the fruit, giving the wine structure and the potential for elegant aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is a touch more tightly wound than the brilliant 2019 out of the gates, but it seems likely to equal that vintage with a bit of time. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of minty blackberries and cassis mingled with notions of burning embers, spices, rose petals and orange rind, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, powdery structuring tannins and a long, saline finish. As I wrote last year, this estate in recent vintages has arrived at a sort of stylistic contemporary classicism that evokes the great wines of yesteryear from this address, and the 2020 continues that trend.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPWell-built, pulling ample and weighty waves of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry preserves along, atop a broad spine of warm loam, smoldering tobacco and singed alder. Long and deep through the fine-grained finish, with a warm paving stone note that won’t quit, thanks to well-buried acidity—not an easy feat in this vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WS