THE 2008 VINTAGE at DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER

You can also find :

The word from Olivier BERNARD about the EN PRIMEUR CAMPAIGN
A video showing the making of the final blend of the 2008 vintage

2008 DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER

Great, concentrated wines

with a fine mineral flavour

A vintage that took its sweet time 

 

Cool weather delayed flowering until mid-June and, although fairly dry, the summer of 2008 was mediocre. So, it looked at though it would be not possible to make up for lost time.

However, from 15 September to 25 October the sun prevailed.

There was plenty of sunshine from mid-September until the end of the harvest, accompanied by dry winds, high daytime temperatures, and cool evening temperatures.

This incredible Indian summer saved the 2008 vintage, the latest in the Domaine's entire history. 

Low yields of very concentrated grapes with wonderful acidity and a record tannin index

 

28 hl/ha for the white wines, with a natural alcoholic degree of more than 13.5° and a pH of 3.08.

40 hl/ha for the red wines, with a natural alcoholic degree of more than 13° and a pH of 3.63. Tannin index of the final blend: > 75

This good acidity (pH) will ensure great balance, maintain freshness, and guarantee excellent ageing potential. 

 

2008 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc

The grapes were hand-picked between the 19^th of September and the 3^rd of October. Pickers went through the vines 19 times to harvest the fruit in each plot at peak ripeness.

This tailor-made harvest took place exclusively in the morning in order to lock in fresh fruit aromas and flavours.

With regard to winemaking, the wine was cold settled and fermented in barrel to express all the fine characteristics of the vintage: bright fruit, concentration, freshness, and a wonderful mineral aftertaste.

This was the first time since Olivier Bernard arrived at the estate in 1983 that all the grapes from old vines were included in the grand vin.

 

75% Sauvignon Blanc 25% Sémillon

2008 white Chevalier is intensely fruity and well-balanced, revealing hints of tropical fruit, citrus, and vine peaches, as well as outstanding freshness and purity.

This fine wine is full-bodied, powerful, and concentrated on the palate with a very mineral aftertaste. The acidity provides an excellent counterpoint to the richness, and contributes to a long, remarkably well-balanced aftertaste.

 

2008 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge

 

Not a drop of rain interfered with picking this historically late harvest. The grapes were hand-sorted and put into vat via gravity flow.

6-15 October: Merlots

6-October: Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot

17-25 October: Cabernet Sauvignon

 

The grapes were completely ripe thanks to the long sunny period at the end of the growing season. Once fermented, the fruit retained all its freshness and the wine displays a potential beyond our (considerable) expectations.

The tannin is impressively rich and textured.

 

66% Cabernet Sauvignon,  25% Merlot, and  9% Petit Verdot

 

Deep, very brilliant colour. Tremendously ripe, fresh fruit on the nose.

Well-structured and tight on the palate at this early stage, with enormous class.

Rich, elegant wine with aromas that are already complex, accompanied by superb mineral purity and great acidity. A wine to age.