Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan rouge 2019 - Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

This is a property that is admired by all, boasting a superb vineyard in a single block surrounding the château, one of the best cultivated in the Bordeaux region. Olivier Bernard is a tireless ambassador for Bordeaux wines around the world. He is also one of those who knows the value of their product most intimately, thanks to daily tastings with the countless visitors to the estate, a pioneer in welcoming the public. The whites are the most distinguished in the commune, the reds are models of Bordeaux classicism in their proportions and flavor. The latest reds are very impressive for their extra body and complexity. Beautiful nuances, tension, and energy for the white esprit-de-chevalier, which is the perfect reflection of a great wine. The 2016, 2017, and 2018 reds and whites are simply at their peak, and the estate richly deserves its 5-star rating.

Decanter

About wine:

Attractive aroma, blackcurrant and floral notes with violets. Expressive and rounded aromas. Smooth on the palate, full-bodied but calm and controlled. Smooth and sophisticated, plump with a lovely high acidity that lifts the palate and creates a beautiful tart contrast with the sweet spices and clear minerality. While the 2018 is more muscular and fleshy, the 2019 has more depth and class. It is fun, playful, and clean, with magnificent acidity and a long life ahead of it. It is still a baby, and I would not drink it right away, but it has exceptional potential, and I love the minty freshness and hints of salted stone on the finish. Sweet, succulent, and precise. Magnificent. 2028-2055

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About wine:

The 2019 Domaine de Chevalier is a magical wine in the making, emanating aromas of wild plum, crushed blackcurrant, and violet from the glass, mingled with notes of pencil shavings, subtle spices, and a forest floor of conifers. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, deep and consistent, with a vibrant core of fruit, beautifully refined tannins, and lively acidity, it is deliciously elegant and harmonious, ending with a long, fragrant finish. Stylistically, this wine has much more affinity with the great Domaine de Chevalier of yesteryear than much of what was produced here in the early 2000s. It is a masterclass in what contemporary Bordeaux can offer, and it is worth making a special effort to find it. 2029-2060

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Since 1983, the Bernard family has been doing everything possible to keep this beautiful estate at the forefront of the appellation. Thanks to state-of-the-art technology and a vineyard that has now reached the age necessary to produce great grapes, the wines are impeccable, both white and red. The vineyard, located in one of the coolest areas of the appellation, on the edge of the Landes forest, is maintained like a garden. The white grapes are sorted with extreme care and their vinification has become considerably more sophisticated, without altering the style or class of this highly reputed wine. Chevalier embodies finesse and elegance, without compromising its aging potential.

Vinous

About wine:

The 2019 Domaine de Chevalier has a precise and complex bouquet with aromas of blackberry, cedar, and tobacco, in a fairly Médoc style. It is utterly captivating. The palate is medium-bodied, with supple tannins, deliciously integrated oak, fleshiness, and a finely balanced finish. This wine is exceptional. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2025-2055

James Suckling

About wine:

Magnificent nose of ripe redcurrants, bay leaf, violet, and raspberry. Full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins that are polished and layered. Crushed stones enhance the beautiful blue fruit. Poised and refined. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. Try after 2026.

Terre de Vins

About wine:

Intense nose, delicately woody and spicy, with red and black fruit notes. The dense and full-bodied palate seduces with its elegant, juicy, and fruity texture, revealing the freshness and clarity of Cabernet and ripe blackcurrant. The smooth finish combines raspberry, blackberry, tart redcurrant, and hints of undergrowth with a touch of eucalyptus. Powerful and delicate.

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is elegant, precise, and offers beautiful power and delicacy, richness and accuracy, a slightly compact aspect to its richness, and depth. There are notes of juicy strawberry, ripe wild red berries, juicy blackcurrant and, more subtly, fresh fig, combined with hints of fresh pine sap, orange blossom, cinnamon, delicate touches of chocolate and toast, and a subtle hint of fresh hazelnut and Cubeb pepper.  The palate is fruity, balanced, refined, precise, and fresh, offering juiciness, elegance, richness, multi-layered complexity, a slight airiness, and a very nice stretch of elegance and finesse. A lovely combination of fresh and ripe fruit. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of bright blackberry, bright raspberry and, more subtly, juicy/fresh red berries combined with hints of star anise/licorice, pine sap candy, sweet rose petals, crushed almonds, chocolate and a subtle hint of toast. There is a lovely, delicate chewiness and a slight salinity on the finish (which lengthens the finish).