Dom. de Chevalier
Grand Cru Classé Graves
Pessac-Leognan
2009

The producer

The modern history of Domaine de Chevalier starts in 1983 when Olivier Bernard takes over the estate. Located within a forest clearing on gently sloping land, the 35 hectares of vineyards, which are farmed using biodynamic methods, have 80% allocated to red wine production - with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot the most planted grape varieties - and the remaining 5 hectares are planted with white grapes – 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon.

Uniquely this is one of few estates, in Pessac-Leognan, which have Cru Classe de Graves status for both their red- and their white wines. The red wine is highly-regarded as one of the best Cru Classe’s of Pessac and the white wine is, with its seductive yet uplifting decadence, truly one of the very best in all of Bordeaux. The Bernard family are still in charge of the estate today and superstar oenologist, Stephane Derenoncourt, consults.

The wine

The blend of grape varieties varies a little with fruit ripeness and vintage conditions, but mostly includes around 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Fermentation takes place, plot by plot, in stainless steel and is followed by ageing in barrel for 14-24 months with 40-60% new oak depending on the vintage. A seductive Pessac-Leognan with a velvety texture, Chevalier Rouge has earthy tobacco complexity and a long firm finish.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.