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70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon Olivier Bernard and his team have got the combination of Sémillon and Sauvignon pitch perfect with their superb 2020. It is immediately appealing on the nose, with aromas of hazelnut, praline and almost a touch of double cream. A wine of noticeable depth, it is broad and full and has almost a tannic structure of intensity. The gorgeous lift of grapefruit on the finish refreshes the palate. Lovely. Drink Date 2023 - 2035
70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon Olivier Bernard and his team have got the combination of Sémillon and Sauvignon pitch perfect with their superb 2020. It is immediately appealing on the nose, with aromas of hazelnut, praline and almost a touch of double cream. A wine of noticeable depth, it is broad and full and has almost a tannic structure of intensity. The gorgeous lift of grapefruit on the finish refreshes the palate. Lovely. Drink Date 2023 - 2035
The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc was cropped at 43hl/ha and will spend 18 months in barrel. It has a very composed bouquet of green apple, kiwi fruit, crushed rock and dried white flower aromas. There is nothing extravagant on the nose, but it is beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine bead of acidity, displaying light honeyed notes on the entry mixed with chamomile and almond and hints of marzipan. Very harmonious from start to finish, this is a refined and classy Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. Drink 2025 - 2050
The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is fabulous. Bright and airy in the glass, the 2020 bristles with energy. Lemon confit, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper all pulse with tons of vibrancy. This finely-cut, chiseled white is going to need a number of years to be at its best, but it is so impressive and so full of potential. Bright saline notes punctuate the dazzling finish. Time in the glass brings out the wine's texture and layers. The Blanc is one of the world's great wines, hands down. Drink 2030 - 2050
A dense, creamy DC white with lots of rich cooked-apple, mineral, cream and praline character. It’s full and very layered with chewy intensity and a long, bitter-lemon and almost honey finish. Pretty phenolic tension, too.
An excellent white with precision, flesh and confidence, sure to age well. A ton of white pear and some soft pepper spice keeps up the pace and lift from beginning to end, and the intensity continues to build after the wine has left the palate - a sure sign of something special happening. A yield of 43hl/ha. Tasted twice. Unusual for me to score the red and white Chevalier at the same level, but both are extremely successful in this vintage. Drink 2022-2032
Sheer heaven on the nose, this is one of the most balanced and perfumed wines of the vintage and it shows stunningly tender lime blossom and honeysuckle fruit against a backdrop of ‘blonde’ oak and creamy, blanched almond tones. The acidity is thrilling, making this an electrifying treat and it will drink well in its youth as well as develop nicely, too, such is the innate balance here.
Unusually open and aromatic with citrus, guava and passion-fruit notes. Palate round and full but with a refreshing bite of acidity and again those expressive fruit notes. More immediate pleasure than long term? (JL) Drink 2024 – 2030
Subtle, salivatory, mineral nose. Quite rich and dense on the palate – lots more depth here than in most dry white Pessac-Léognans. Seems weightier and richer than most previous vintages. Builds towards the finish. On past form, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt regarding ageability. 13.5% Drink 2023 – 2030
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.
