Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan (Grand Cru Classé de Graves) 2016 (750ml)

Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux wine producer profile, with wine tasting notes, wine ratings, a history of the property, information on wine making and terroir, along with wine tasting reviews. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
The owners of Domaine de Chevalier, the Bernard family, have a long history dating all the way back to the 1155! What we know of as Domaine de Chevalier in the Graves/Pessac Leognan, appellation, was purchased in 1865 by Arnaud Ricard and his son Jean for 33,000 francs. At the time, the Ricard family were familiar with the Bordeaux wine trade, as they worked as coopers, producing wine barrels. In 1865, the estate began selling their wine under the Gascon name of “Chivaley”. In those days, the 44 hectare property was used for mostly food crops and ranching. While there was a tiny Bordeaux wine making operation at the estate, because there was no money in wine, it was not their main interest.

Intense dark ruby purple color, black in the middle. Bright and clear. A sharp nose with a great freshness, offers a concentrated and energetic cocktail of red and black fruits in a balsamic atmosphere with a hint of pine forest. Peppery spices and fresh notes of venison are integrated. A mineral complexity joins this entire bouquet. The attack is generous with a soft texture, silky and fruity. The sensation of a dense tannic structure is immediate. The texture is tight but refined and supple. Great tannins coated with fruity pulp give both velvety and firm texture. Despite an accessible external appearance, this large-scale wine deserves time to develop his great potential. Great length, great format. Balance, freshness, grace, refinement, authenticity and concentration define it perfectly.

#23 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019

Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot

Critical Acclaim

JS97
James Suckling

Aromas of blackberries, red and dark plums, cedar and gravel, as well as red flowers and brown-leaf tea. It offers a very sleek and powerful array of ripe dark fruit and a very plush, focused and elegant bed of fresh, fine and powerful tannins. Plenty of aging potential, this is still quite tight. A blend of 55 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 35 per cent merlot, five per cent cabernet franc and five per cent petit verdot. Try from 2024.

JD97
Jeb Dunnuck
As to the reds, the 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that saw an extended maceration, malo in barrel, and 18 months in just 35% new French oak. This deep purple-hued beauty boasts a powerful bouquet of tobacco smoke, damp earth, gravelly, rocky minerality, wood smoke, and loads of dark fruits. Full-bodied, deep, concentrated yet incredibly elegant and seamless on the palate, it’s a legendary Chevalier in the making. While I rated this as high as 99 points on one of the four separate occasions I was able to taste it, I’m being conservative with the score. it has some upfront charm but needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for 3-4 decades.
WS96
Wine Spectator
The core of fruit flavor here is sappy and dense, with lots of kirsch, raspberry pâte de fruit and plum reduction notes, yet this stays fresh and racy overall, with a bright iron spine, flashes of tea and tobacco and a long finish that shows a wonderful infusion of alder and tobacco flavors. Offers a lovely combination of prodigious fruit details, with a tug of earth. Best from 2024 through 2038.
WE96
Wine Enthusiast
This elegant wine wears its firm tannic structure lightly. It is densely textured, just starting on its road to maturity. Black-plum and berry fruits give the wine its weight as much as the tannins. It will age well over many years. Drink from 2026.
Cellar Selection
D96
Decanter
The nose is a little less open at this stage than some of the others, but it’s clearly hiding layers of complexity. Chevalier suits a year like 2016, when the fruit was able to take its time to ripen. It's notably more tannic than most of the other wines in the line up, and will take its time to come round. It has brooding cassis and blackberry fruit, firm tannins and touches of tobacco and smoked sarments. There's no question that this will age well.
RP94
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rocks up with expressive warm plums, blueberry compote and cassis scents with suggestions of sandalwood, baking spices and potpourri. Medium-bodied and delicately styled yet with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, it sports restrained earth-laced fruit and a long finish.
Rating: 94+