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Silky, velvety and poised, the 2009 is a fine example of the vintage for its deliciously sweet fruit and smooth, yet noteworthy tannins. It finishes with incredible freshness and balance, with no overextraction in sight. As its winemaker Gabriel Vialard, reported, "2009 was a year to take one's foot off the accelerator."
Silky, velvety and poised, the 2009 is a fine example of the vintage for its deliciously sweet fruit and smooth, yet noteworthy tannins. It finishes with incredible freshness and balance, with no overextraction in sight. As its winemaker Gabriel Vialard, reported, "2009 was a year to take one's foot off the accelerator."
The 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. 2021-2050
In 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. Drink: 2012 - 2037
The finest wine I have tasted from this estate in my 30+ - year career, the 2009 (64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot) from this hallowed vineyard in Leognan was cropped at 45 hectoliters per hectare and came in at 13% alcohol. It reveals an extraordinary, intense, pure, quintessential Domaine de Chevalier style, including silky tannin, dense plum, black currant, black cherry, floral, and graphite notes, terrific acidity, sweet tannin, and a full-bodied mouthfeel with no weight, but admirable precision and freshness. Consultant Stephane Derenoncourt has coaxed out all the elegance and complexity at this great site. A future legend in the making, this could be the best Domaine de Chevalier produced over the last half century. It should drink well for 35-40 years. Drink: 2010 - 2050
Shows a super nose of crushed blueberry and blackberry, with hints of raspberry. Full-bodied, offering a fabulous core of fruit and ripe tannins that caress your palate for minutes. Love the chocolate and blueberry character. Wonderful texture.
Black red, fine intensity of fragrant Cabernet fruit, touch of wild roses, concentrated yet already showing potential complexity, beautifully expressed palate with density and fragrance and a taffeta aspect that adds lift to its succulent elegance and class. Drink 2015-30.
Strong Cabernet aromas. Unusual! Well balanced and zesty. This seems what Pessac-Léognan should be. Very dry but not drying on the finish. Complete and full of minerality.
Shows a super nose of crushed blueberry and blackberry, with hints of raspberry. Full-bodied, offering a fabulous core of fruit and ripe tannins that caress your palate for minutes. Love the chocolate and blueberry character. Wonderful texture.
Stretching from the rather unglamorous southern suburbs of Bordeaux, for 50 km along the left bank of the river Garonne, lies Graves. Named for its gravelly soil, a relic of Ice Age glaciers, this is the birthplace of claret, despatched from the Middle Ages onwards from the nearby quayside to England in vast quantities. It can feel as though Bordeaux is just about red wines, but some sensational white wines are produced in this area from a blend of sauvignon blanc, Semillon and, occasionally, muscadelle grapes, often fermented and aged in barrel. In particular, Domaine de Chevalier is renowned for its superbly complex whites, which continue to develop in bottle over decades. A premium appellation, Pessac-Leognan, was created in 1987 for the most prestigious terroirs within Graves. These are soils with exceptional drainage, made up of gravel terraces built up in layers over many millennia, and consequently thrive in mediocre vintages but are less likely to perform well in hotter years. These wines were appraised and graded in their own classification system in 1953 and updated in 1959, but, like the 1855 classification system, this should be regarded with caution and the wines must absolutely be assessed on their own current merits.
