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This delectable white 2024 has an appealing waxy nose, with quite a lot of richness. There is great weight and texture to the fruit on the palate, with confit lemon rind, honeysuckle, jasmine and a gentle spiciness. Freshness here is key, with a great driving mineral acidity. Really complete already, but has all the signs of a great white Domaine de Chevalier and will age brilliantly.
The 2024 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc was cropped between September 4 and 16 at 48 hl/ha, with just a tad more Sauvignon in the blend this year. There is impressive intensity on the nose with scents of apple blossom, orange cordial and hints of yellow flowers. It unfolds wonderfully in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a winsome, slightly resinous texture, notes of ginger-infused orange pith and wild peach flavours. Very harmonious and tensile on the finish, this is gearing up to be a superb Domaine de Chevalier Blanc that could well end up at the upper end of my banded score.
A blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon, the 2024 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc reveals aromas of crisp stone fruit, confit citrus and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and layered, it's sappy and bright with a gently oaky frame and a long, ethereal finish.
The 2024 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc has it all. Powerful yet elegant, deep yet light on its feet, the 2024 is a wine of contrasts and harmony that will thrill readers for many years to come. Nothing in particular stands out, rather it is the wine's balance that carries the day. Chamomile, crushed flowers, chalk and a hint of new oak run through a core of citrus-tinged fruit. The long, sustained finish is remarkable. Superb. Tasted two times.
Beautiful perfumed aromas of fine cream, meringue, ripe guava and spices. Bright and acid-driven with medium to full body and a long, scented finish. Bone-dry and textured. Not a year of huge concentration, but a lot of freshness, length and energy make this a wine to consider seriously. 75% sauvignon blanc and 25% semillon.
Aromatically a little reserved. Citrus notes as it opens. Palate dense and structured, the fruit full and precise with plenty of tension behind. Lots of lift and length. Should age as well. (JL)
This delectable white 2024 has an appealing waxy nose, with quite a lot of richness. There is great weight and texture to the fruit on the palate, with confit lemon rind, honeysuckle, jasmine and a gentle spiciness. Freshness here is key, with a great driving mineral acidity. Really complete already, but has all the signs of a great white Domaine de Chevalier and will age brilliantly.
Full of character, intense, grippy, green apple, white pear, white peach, unripe mango, sage and saffron and just so juicy on the finish. Great potential, clear ageing ability, fragrant and confident. Harvest 4 to 19 September. 33% new oak.
Always a classy white from this great estate, the 2024 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is based on 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Sémillon, and is aging in equal parts new, once-used, and twice-used barrels. It shows bright, racy acidity and outstanding length, with vibrant notes of crushed citrus, honeyed minerality, mint, and subtle spice. Medium-bodied and impeccably balanced, it should continue to fill out nicely over the course of its élevage. Tasted multiple times.
There is a hint of lemongrass and jasmine over the classic agrume core, bringing a rare sense of exoticism to this often-classical wine. I like it very much, and a second tasting revealed brief moments of honeysuckle, which I expect will multiply with time. The gulf between the great dry whites and the all-so-rans is as wide as it is with the red wines, and yet something is genuinely compelling about the best whites, which is seriously tempting me over from Burgundy to Bordeaux this year! 18/20
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.
