Domaine de Chevalier 2020

Well-built, pulling ample, weighty waves of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry preserves along, atop a broad spine of warm loam, smoldering tobacco and singed alder. Long and deep through the fine-grained finish, with a warm paving-stone note that won’t quit, thanks to well-buried acidity — not an easy feat in this vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2038.

Blueberry and blackcurrant fruit on the nose, with touches of ripeness and freshness. Juicy and lively, but also straight and tense, with liquorice, tobacco and chocolate-bitter spice notes. It’s quite constricted and focused right now. Generous but not necessarily charming on the palate. Precision and clarity are there, no doubt; this is well made and has that mature, ripe-fruit profile that gives a broad mouthfeel with lots of tension and direction. Super young but super promising. Rich, heady, with a slightly high alcohol on the finish. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

The purity of fruit is really something here, with blackcurrants and blackberries, together with orange, stone and granite character. Mind-boggling in many ways. Full-bodied with very fine tannins that are polished and pure. Such a fine texture. Lots of primary fruit. Like picking wonderfully ripe grapes. Great length. One for the cellar. Drink after 2030.

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is brilliant. Bright, poised and wonderfully pure, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier marries the radiance of the year with tremendous freshness. Red cherry fruit, blood orange, mint, star anise and cinnamon all meld together. The 2020 is a wine built on aromatic presence and persistence, more so than heft, with all the elements very nicely balanced. What a wine! Tasted two times.

Showing a solid depth of color, the moment the wine hits the glass you find a wealth of black raspberries, cigar box, mint, oceanic influences, smoke, licorice, black currants, blackberries, bay leaf, and black raspberries in the nose. On the palate, the wine exudes an incredible purity of fruit, dark chocolate, and layers of ripe, dense, sensuously-textured black, red, and blue fruits that unfold seamlessly across your palate, and linger for close to 50 seconds. There is lift, energy, volume, and depth on the palate finishing with waves of dark red currants, creme de cassis, tobacco leaf, blackberry, savory herbs, and a gentle wisp of spearmint on the backend. Clearly, this is one of the great vintages of Domaine de Chevalier that fans of the estate should run, (not walk) to buy! Drink from 2026-2055.

Dark ruby, with purple reflections and a dark core, subtly brighter at the rim. Ripe plum, black cherry, with sweet and savoury nuances, and some vanilla. Juicy, with sweet cherry, fine fruit expression and ripe round tannins, the wine has minerality, shows good length, and will benefit from further bottle ageing.

Great structure blending a wealth of ripe dark fruit with fine oak, plenty of super-refined tannins, lovely freshness paired with dense dark fruit and a marvellously long finish, excellent potential.

Sublime bouquet of sandalwood, ripe morello cherry, raspberry purée and Burley tobacco. On the compact palate, firmly cut, with a tight-knit tannic framework, supporting tension and an athletic body. The concentrated finish shows noble cassis spice, deep, dark minerality and majestic astringency—an endurance runner that deserves time!

Kunz barrel sample 2021: dense, silky, lactic, elegant bouquet, cherries, strawberry yogurt, mocha, cedar. Tightly woven, silky, fresh palate with a dense, elegant structure, diverse, sweet aromatics, fine tannins, fresh, delicate fruit, long, fragrant, silky finish.

Dense, silky, lactic, elegant bouquet—cherries, strawberry yogurt, mocha, cedar. A tightly woven, silky, fresh palate with a dense, elegant structure, layered sweet aromatics, fine tannins, fresh, delicate fruit, and a long, fragrant, silky finish. 18/20 2027 - 2050

Exactly as you hope to find a great Bordeaux at this stage, still very much firm in its tannic structure, rippled with clear cinnamon, turmeric and black pepper notes alongside creamy cassis, blackberry, bilberry, cigar box, smoked earth. A brilliant Chevalier. 38 hl/ha yield.

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the gate with pronounced notes of blackcurrant cordial, juicy blackberries, and mossy tree bark, giving way to notes of licorice, crushed rocks, and pencil lead. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruits and mineral accents, framed by firm, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

A vibrant nose of red and black fruits resonating with one another, and an utterly enchanting floral delicacy of iris and peony. On the palate, a wonderful alliance of warm tobacco, with a fairly fine texture despite the oak. A wine more cavalier than knight, where you can feel the warmth of an August month, with a lovely saline finish.

It is through detail and subtlety that the bouquet of Domaine de Chevalier seeks to shine. And it succeeds beautifully! Such definition, complexity, and balance between freshness and indulgence. The wine is inviting, broad, and harmonious. Its tannins provide ideal support and promise excellent ageing potential. This Domaine de Chevalier will need time to showcase its many qualities, yet it already underscores its grandeur today.

Beautiful, elegant nose, racy, offering controlled richness, precision, a touch of straightness, and a certain power and opulence without exuberance — all under perfect control. Notes of wild strawberry, wild blackberry and spices mingle with hints of warm pine needle, lily, and fine touches of licorice stick. The palate is beautifully guided, elegant and precise, delivering accuracy, lovely lengthening tension, fine finesse, a tangy backbone, indulgence, a certain density kept in check, and a charming lightness to its grain. On the palate, the wine reveals lovely notes of juicy/fresh cherry, vibrant raspberry and, more subtly, cornflower, combined with hints of iris, fresh pine needles, and touches of licorice stick, plum blossom / fresh plum, with discreet notes of star anise. Good length. Utterly delicate — congratulations!

95–97. Barrel Sample. This impressively rich wine is centered on great swathes of black fruits. The tannins, with their stylish swagger, are a fine complement to the fruit, giving the wine structure and the potential for elegant aging.