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

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Here's an estate held in high esteem by all, with a superb vineyard surrounding the château, one of the best cultivated in Bordeaux. Olivier Bernard is a tireless ambassador for Bordeaux wines around the world. He is also one of those who most intimately know the value of their product, thanks to daily tastings in the company of the countless visitors to the estate, a pioneer in welcoming the public. The whites are the most racy in the commune, the reds models of Bordeaux classicism in their proportions and flavor. The latest reds are impressive for their extra body and complexity. Beautiful nuances, tension and energy for the white esprit-de-chevalier, which is the perfect reflection of the great wine. The 2016, 2017 and 2018 reds and whites are simply top-notch, and the estate richly deserves its 5-star rating.

Decanter

About the wine:

Lovely perfume on the nose, blackcurrant and floral reflections with violets. Expressive, round scents. Unctuous, full-bodied but calm and controlled on the palate. Suave and sophisticated, plump with lovely high acidity that lifts the palate and creates a lovely acidic contrast with sweet spices and clear minerality. While the 2018 is more muscular and fleshy, the 2019 has more depth and class. It's fun, playful and clean, the acidity is gorgeous and it will have a long life. It's still a baby, so I wouldn't drink it just yet, but it has exceptional potential and I love the minty freshness and hints of salt stone at the end. Sweet, succulent and precise. Magnificent. 2028-2055

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

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

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

About the domain :

Since 1983, the Bernard family has been doing its utmost to keep this fine estate at the forefront of the appellation. Thanks to state-of-the-art technical equipment and a vineyard that is now old enough to produce great grapes, the wines are irreproachable, both white and red. The vineyard, located in one of the cooler areas of the appellation, on the edge of the Landes forest, is tended like a garden. The white grapes are sorted with extreme care, and vinification has become considerably more sophisticated, without altering the style or class of this highly reputed wine. Chevalier embodies finesse and elegance, without compromising ageing potential.

Vinous A. Galloni

About the wine:

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

James Suckling

About the wine:

Magnificent nose of ripe redcurrants, laurel, violets and raspberry. Full-bodied, with firm, very tight, polished and layered tannins. The crushed stones highlight 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 the wine:

Intense, finely woody, spicy nose of red and black fruits. The dense, ample palate seduces with its elegant taffeta texture, juicy and fruity, where the freshness and clarity of cabernet and ripe blackcurrant shine through. The suave finish blends raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant acidity and notes of undergrowth with a hint of eucalyptus. Powerful and delicate.

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is elegant and precise, offering power with delicacy, richness with precision, compactness with richness, and depth. Notes of full-bodied strawberry, ripe wild red berries, full-bodied blackcurrant and, to a lesser extent, fresh fig are combined with hints of fresh pine sap, orange blossom, cinnamon, fine hints of chocolate, toast and a subtle touch of fresh hazelnut and Cuban pepper. The palate is fruity, well-balanced, full of finesse/precision and freshness, offering juiciness, elegance, gourmandise, a multi-layered, airy quality, as well as a very pretty, elegant, fine stretch. A lovely side of fresh, ripe fruit. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of bright blackberry, bright raspberry and, more lightly, juicy/fresh red berries, combined with hints of star anise/sugar balm, pine-sap candy, sweet rose petal, crushed almond, chocolate and a subtle hint of toastiness. Presence of a lovely, delicate chewiness and a little salinity on the finish (which stretches the aftertaste).