Domaine de Chevalier Rouge, Grand Cru Classé, 2018
Olivier Bernard describes 2018 as an 'exceptional vintage'. We concur wholeheartedly, this is a remarkably good Domaine de Chevalier, possibly the best under Olivier's tenure. Produced from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot with a relatively low alcohol of 13.5%, this has a real sense of nobility and class. Dark fruited and mineral, yet quite open and accessible. Lovely, pure, vibrant fruit coats the palate. It feels immediate and open with plenty of fleshy, juicy mulberry and sweet loganberry character. We have been a little critical of recent primeur showings (probably unfairly), but this is Domaine de Chevalier back to its best. This is authentic, wonderfully expressive, vibrant and finely textured with a salty, black fruit, liquorice finish that gives a real sense of harmony. It is a very enjoyable and surprisingly serious effort that despite its apparent openness will reward considerable time in the cellar. Top notch DDC.
critic reviews
Domaine de Chevalier 2018 is deep garnet purple in color. It is a little closed to begin with emerging scents of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, and Morello cherries, plus hints of menthol, spice cake, and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a velvety texture and plenty of freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing with a minty kick.
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, aged for approximately 18 months in oak barriques, 35% new, the 2018 Domaine de Chevalier has a deep garnet-purple color, pouncing out of the glass with energetic scents of crushed blackcurrants, fresh, juicy blackberries and ripe plums, with suggestions of crushed rocks, bay leaves, unsmoked cigars and lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with muscular black fruits, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and great tension, finishing long and mineral laced. Give it another 4 years in bottle to flesh out and drink it over the next 25+ years.
Here is another wine that needed aeration to really show its mettle, albeit not as much as others. The 2018 Domaine de Chevalier initially comes across a little ordinary. You ask yourself: What’s the fuss all about? But after 60–90 minutes it reveals an absolutely divine nose of raspberry, crushed rose petals, wild mint and Provençal herbs, beautifully defined and gaining intensity with each passing moment. The palate is very well balanced, the predominantly red fruit framed by fine tannins that provide the backbone to this Domaine de Chevalier, yet the overriding impression is one of elegance and finesse. An utterly sublime Pessac-Léognan that is going to give a lot of pleasure over the coming years.