News from Domaine de Chevalier

Domaine de Chevalier White 2012 Primeur _ Press Review

 

REVUE du VIN de FRANCE 18-19 /20          Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Moins 10 % de sauvignon, plus 10 % de sémillon sont les deux principales nuances de ce blanc, "reflétant les équilibres de maturité du millésime", précise Rémi Edange, le directeur adjoint. Finesse de fruit, touches de menthol, boisé remarquablement intégré font de ce vin cristallin, l'une des révélations 2012. Ph.M   James SUCKLING  Domaine de Chevalier  White :      94-95 This is very tender and pretty with very fine elements. Dried lemons, minerals and lilac as well as character of oyster shell and iodine. Full body, yet refined and long. You normally see this sort complex character in reds from Pessac-Léognan. Fascinating young white.   BETTANE-DESSEAUVE Domaine de Chevalier Blanc :          16,5 ; 17 Assez gras,  moins vif à la naissance que 2011 mais très complexe.   WINE SPECTATOR - James MOLESWORTH Domaine de Chevalier White 2012 Score: 91-94 Good, floral-framed style, with honeysuckle and chamomile notes followed by Meyer lemon, meringue and shortbread flavors. Very juicy through the finish, with a nice stony backdrop for added cut. —J.M.   Jean-Marc QUARIN Domaine de Chevalier Blanc  16,75/20             93/100 Couleur pâle, aux reflets verts. Nez fin, fruité, mûr, subtil et floral. Jolie entrée en bouche subtile et parfumée, au toucher fin. Puis le vin se développe avec cette combinaison magique du tactile et de la saveur, sur une structure ascendante et séveuse. Finale longue, vanillée et délicieuse, avec un retour des notes de citron bien mûr. C’est bon et bien construit.   WINE ENTHUSIAST – Roger VOSS Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2012 Barrel sample Review: 93–95. Barrel sample. Complex, rounded and full bodied, this wine is still reticent at the moment, hiding its rich fruit. As it develops, this will be impressive, with its mineral texture over apricot fruits and layers of spice and wood. - R.V. Rating: 94 Jancis ROBINSON Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2012             17  Drink 2014-2024 Sweet and rather oily start. Lots of weight. Could only be Pessac-Léognan – tant mieux! Big and beefy but not sweet. I admire this style – for food. Long, with an admirably dry finish.

Robert PARKER-Wine Advocate   Domaine de Chevalier  Pessac-Léognan WHITE :   93-95 A gorgeous effort, the 2012 Domaine de Chevalier, made from a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon that reached 13.5% natural alcohol, boasts abundant notes of creme brulee, lemon custard, candle wax and oranges in its beautifully rich, honeyed personality. Great acidity gives laser-like precision to its component parts. Drink this full-bodied white wine over the next 2-3 decades.   DECANTER Domaine de Chevalier White 2012 - Pessac-Léognan, GCC : Silver-pale, deceptively restrained white flowers nose reveals white peaches and an elegant persistency and purity of mineral-backed fruit that will be astounding over its long future. 18/20pts (93/100pts) Drink: 2014 – 2030 - Taster: Steven Spurrier Neal MARTIN Domaine de Chevalier Blanc      94-96 Tasted from a barrel sample at en primeur. The Domaine de Chevalier Blanc has a reserved, stony nose that you have to be patient with – give it a few minutes and there are some subtle undergrowth scents that begin to emerge, hints of orange blossom and dried apricot. The palate is well balanced with a delicate touch of spice on the entry. This is very focused with good weight and it displays wonderful tension on the finish that offers a Burgundy-like texture. Wonderful. Tasted April 2013.   BERRY BROS  & Rudd Domaine de Chevalier Blanc                  16/20 There is a qualitative similarity between 2012 and 2011 for the dry white wines of the Graves, high praise indeed given the undoubted quality of the latter. However the summer of 2012 was hotter and drier, giving what Remi Edange at Domaine de Chevalier called a "pulpeux" quality to the wines. That is to say a fleshy and juicy character. This 2012 white is very impressive with a bright firm fruit showing citrus and stoney flavours in equal measure. As usual as 70/30 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, this is sure to be an outstanding wine once it has finished its maturation in oak. Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Buying Director  Izak LITWAR – GREAT BORDEAUX WINES Domaine de Chevalier had fine aromatic nose of apple and acacia, refined and lush palate with fine acidity, fine balance, great complexity and smooth aftertaste. Classy wine as always, but is a bit lighter than usual in this vintage. 94-95p.   Tim Atkin : 94   (pas de commentaire disponible pour l’instant)

Domaine de Chevalier Red 2012 Primeur _ Press Review

 

 

Robert PARKER – Wine Advocate Domaine de Chevalier  Red :                   92-95  One of the stars of the vintage, it boasts a dense purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of red and black currants, graphite, subtle flowers and well-integrated, toasty oak. Impressively built rich and medium to full-bodied without losing the quintessential elegance and finesse for which this famous estate is renowned, the 2012 Domaine de Chevalier is filled with purity, equilibrium and balance. The tannins are sweet enough that this wine should be accessible when released, and will last for 15-20 years. Is this a modern day clone of their brilliant 1953 ?   James SUCKLING Domaine de Chevalier  red, 2012                     93-94  This shows wonderful depth of fruit with blackberries, blueberry and spice. Minerals too. Full body, with beautiful and silky tannins and a long, long finish. Superb finish. Sensational for the vintage.   REVUE du VIN de FRANCE 17,5 - 18,5 /20 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge  C'est l'un, si ce n'est le plus beau rouge dégusté dans les Graves! Il forme l'expression la plus classique et vibrante d'un cabernet-sauvignon (65%) de tout premier ordre, réhaussé de 30 % de merlot et de 5 % de petit verdot. Son expression aromatique est légèrement fumée et d'une grande concentration de fruit, sa bouche soyeuse, d'une remarquable expression de tanins. Il ne présente aucun stigmate des difficultés de l'année. Voilà un cru qui ne s'est pas laissé aller dans la difficulté du millésime. Bravo ! Ph. M.   DECANTER Velvety black-red, impressive concentration of ripe, slightly leafy fruit, good depth and clarity, slight green 17.5/20pts (91/100pts) Drink: 2016 – 2030 - Taster: Steven Spurrier   WINE SPECTATOR - James MOLESWORTH Domaine de Chevalier  Pessac-Léognan 2012 Score: 90-93 Fresh and nicely polished, with a rounded feel to the mix of plum skin, cherry preserve and currant notes. Alluring spice and dark tea notes fill in the finish. Sneakily long. —J.M.   Jean-Marc QUARIN Domaine de Chevalier  rouge 16,25 /20 ; 91/100    Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Nez fruité, un peu discret et crémeux. Jolie entrée en bouche puis le vin se développe plutôt ample au milieu, savoureux et particulièrement fruité. Juteux, puissant pour le millésime, il prend un bon goût de cabernet sauvignon dans la persistance et s’achève sur des tannins enveloppés. Vin très bien construit. Un succès.

WINE ENTHUSIAST – Roger VOSS Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2012 Barrel sample Review: 93–95. Barrel sample. Firm, wood-aged character shows strongly here. The wine is dense and very firm, with a dark feel of extraction, but the juicy fruitiness underneath shows enormous potential. - R.V. Rating: 94   Jeannie CHO LEE A polished, supple red with velvety tannins and a wonderful array of flavours - plums, blackberries and sweet spices. There is good depth here with tannins that are round, supple and ripe. Not one of Domaine de Chevalier's best vintages, but there is plenty of approachable flavours here to enjoy over the next 8-12 years. (91)     BERRY BROS  & Rudd Domaine de Chevalier Rouge                 17/20                   This is one of my top five ‘must haves’ this year…again! I have bought it for my own cellar every year since 2004. It’s just heavenly and you know, because Olivier Bernard is a pragmatic realist, that it is going to be priced at a level where we can all indulge ourselves a little. It is multi-layered, sophisticated but still generous. Pure yet decadent, it has such silky tannins that you have to go digging about in the glass to find any at all. It also has the honour of having the longest finish of any wine we tasted during the en primeur tasting week. This is an outstanding wine from 2012. Drink 2018-2035. Simon Staples, Asia Director   Neal MARTIN Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 92-94  Tasted from a barrel sample at en primeur. The Domaine de Chevalier has a lovely understated, very pure, quite feminine bouquet with seamlessly integrated oak that neatly encases the blackberry and blueberry fruit. There is a floral note that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins. There is a real backbone to this Pessac-Leognan, although the structured is disguised behind layers of velvety tannins. Gorgeous – but it deserves several years in the cellar. Tasted April 2013.   Jacques DUPONT – Le POINT 16,5 / 17 Fruits noirs un peu compotés, bouche vive, tendue, serrée, tanins bien présents en finale, long et droit.  Izak LITWAR – GREAT BORDEAUX WINES Domaine de Chevalier had oaky and intense nose of blackcurrants,  big palate with considerable amount of fruit and tannin and strong structure. Splendid effort. 93+p Tim ATKIN : 95  (Pas de commentaire disponible pour l’instant)

Domaine de Chevalier : en Primeur 2012 vintage

This is an important day for a property.

This morning at 8 a.m., brokers and negociants of Bordeaux released Domaine de Chevalier Primeur 2012, white and red, to their customers. 

This is for me, once again, the opportunity to thank the actors of the Place de Bordeaux, the great professionals with whom we work closely. With them throughout the year, we fly to the four corners of the world to showcase Bordeaux wines.

The opportunity also to express my gratitude to all those who, in recent weeks, journalists, bloggers, importers ... came to Bordeaux to taste the wines, loved the beautiful Domaine de Chevalier 2012 and recommended to their customers, or to the readers in the press and on blogs.

One explanation for these beautiful ratings ? The Chevalier 2012, was born of a constant, rigorous work, even more uncompromising than usual, conducted by all the team, from spring until the last day of the harvest. Despite a particularly facetious nature during this period, the vineyard has maintained perfect conditions which allowed to mature white and red high quality fruit, deep expression of this “terroir” of Chevalier. Those who know me know that I like to remind that :

Only great grapes can produce a great wine ...Olivier BERNARD