Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac Léognan, 2025
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc rarely disappoints - Olivier Bernard knows how to hone his whites into beautifully sculpted yet eminently drinkable wines that seem to last in perpetuity. The 2025 iteration is no different and certainly does not showcase a hot vintage. A blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon picked between August 25th to September 6th. There is balance here and equilibrium, with yellow fruits dominating on the nose and the palate. The high Sauvignon content never seems to dominate or overpower. Peach, nectarine, pear and quince. A little grassy herbal note freshens the mid-palate. White pepper, slate, saline and a little lemon sherbet add sweetness and zip. The finish is round and enveloping but bright and crisp. Chapeau, Monsieur Bernard.
critic reviews
The 2025 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc was picked from August 25 to September 6 at 38 hl/ha. It has a more backward, slightly reserved nose than I was expecting. It is keeping its cards hidden for now. The palate is well balanced, with good weight, fine density, touches of freshly sliced pear, stem ginger and lemon peel, though it feels linear and correct on the finish. Very fine, but I suspect it will reveal its true identity after bottling.
Straight from the first nose this is clearly one of the whites of the vintage. The most beautifully flinty and sculpted citrus and pear. Harvest August 25 to September 6. 33% new oak. In organic conversion. It's now been a decade of vineyard work to ensure that the white grapes are in the coolest part of the estate, and ageing takes place in a variety of differently sized barrels, with plenty of lees work that changes every year - so in 2024 they stirred through the December, this year only October because the richness was already there. In a word, they know what they are doing and you can rest easy.