2023 DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan, Lea & Sandeman

DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER

2023 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan

Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Village Pessac-Léognan
Classification Cru Classé
ABV 14%

Always one of the benchmark wines of a vintage, and here showcasing the quality of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2023 (as well as the potential for varying yields, as they are down at 30hl/h here). Well balanced, great depth of ink, cassis, bilberry and damson fruits, rises through the palate, with tannic grip and plenty of grilled but carefully judged oak. A great Chevalier, not perhaps at the very top of recent vintages here, but one that will give huge amounts of pleasure, and captures the great classicsm of the year. 35% new oak for ageing, Bernard family owners. Drinking range: 2029 - 2046 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)


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The 2023 Domaine de Chevalier is beautifully resonant in the glass. Deep, layered and quite persistent, the 2023 has so much to offer. In many vintages, this red needs time to be at its best, but this edition has enough forward fruit to make me think it will drink well with minimal cellaring, even if the acids remain brisk. Graphite, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and rose petal build into the tense, saline-infused finish. The 2023 is all finesse. Drinking range: 2030 - 2063 Rating: 94-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

The grand vin from Olivier Bernard, this is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, picked at 30 hl/ha. This takes 58% of the crop in this vintage. This is several aromatic steps up from the second wine and the other Bernard wines, with stunning aromatic expression and purity, very dark and floral, with violets, roses, white peach and verbena. This translates into a palate which is beautifully polished and correct, with great coherence and composition in the middle, verging on velvety here, with dark and sinewy fruits and a firm seams of fine-boned and powdered tannins running beneath it all, lending it all considerable grip. It has great length too. This is a beautiful Domaine de Chevalier which should develop very nicely in the cellar. Tasted three times. The alcohol is about 14% Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

The 2023 Domaine de Chevalier was picked from September 7 to 30 and contains 13% alcohol. This is quintessential "DdC" on the nose: black fruit, sous-bois and hints of black olive at first, subtle marine notes emerging with time in the glass. There’s wonderful focus and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pencil-shaving-tinged black fruit on the entry. Perhaps a bit grippier with more spine than one would expect (especially following the more sensual 2022), this is very traditional in style, with a tremendously long and satisfying saline finish. Superb. Drinking range: 2029 - 2060 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

Domaine de Chevalier

Domaine de Chevalier, located in Léognan and surrounded by forest, enjoys a particular microclimate. Unlike some of the Pessacs which are surrounded by urban development which raises the average temperature, Chevalier is quite a cool terroir.

Olivier Bernard has owned and run the estate since 1983, and has done much to improve the quality of the wines. The white has always been one of Bordeaux's finest, and is even better now, and Bernard has dramatically increased the quality of the red, especially in the last ten years.

Domaine de Chevalier has a soil of dark sand and fine white gravel. It is planted at 10,000 vines per hectare averaging 35 years old.
There are 7 Hectares planted for white with 70% Sauvignon and 30% Sémillon.
There are 60 Hectares planted for red, comprising 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.

At the harvest the white grapes are picked in baskets with successive picking through the vines.
The red grapes are also picked in baskets, with triple sorting: first in the vines, then the complete bunch on the sorting table and third by optical sorting machine, berry by berry.
The white is pressed slowly, and settlement (débourbage) and alcoholic fermentation occur in the barrel, with 35% new wood. The wine is aged on the lees in barrel with stirring (batonnage), for 18 months.
The red grapes are vatted by gravity without pumping. The alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel and coated steel temperature-controlled vats. Maceration for 2 to 3 weeks with a maximum fermentation temperature of 30° C and manual pigeage. The wine is aged for 18 months (four months on the lees), with 35% new wood.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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