Domaine de Chevalier Rouge, Grand Cru Classé, 2024
Domaine de Chevalier opens with a whisper of coal and smoke. Initially rather coy, the bouquet unfurls with coaxing, revealing attractive aromas of mulberries and damsons intertwined with a flinty, earthy element. The palate is typically generous: loganberries mingle with ripe plums, notes of loam and a touch of mocha. As one would expect, Oliver Bernard and his team have produced one of the finest examples from Pessac Leognan, a wine full of vivid fruit, supported by lively acidity and well-judged tannins. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, finishes with floral fruit and a charming salinity.
critic reviews
Deep garnet-purple in color. Pops from the glass with wonderfully fragrant notes of red roses, cardamom, and mossy tree bark, leading to a core of cassis and red currant jelly. The light-bodied palate is energetic and shimmery, delivering fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and minerally.
The 2024 Domaine de Chevalier was cropped at 48 hl/ha between September 20 and October 8. This is almost Burgundian in style, with a fragrant bouquet revealing pure blueberry and blackcurrant aromas alongside crushed violet and iris flower scents emerging with aeration. It is very comely and alluring. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It's very harmonious and already in this prenatal stage, seductive. With finely chiseled tannins and more <em>mineralité</em> compared to the L'Esprit, this seems to glide on the finish. Just a lovely Pessac-Léognan for the vintage, though this year it must accept the silver medal as Olivier Bernard's white takes the gold.
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2024 Domaine de Chevalier reveals a spicy, brooding bouquet of oak, dark berries and gentian. Medium to full-bodied, juicy and round, it's firm and has an assertive tannic frame, concluding with a somewhat chewy finish. Despite a respectable yield and a clear stylistic shift toward less oak influence, the estates sandy terroirs struggled to achieve full ripeness in this delicate vintage.