2009 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

2009 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Product: 20091173547
 
2009 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

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Description

Very ripe, exotic fruit aromas abound on the nose of the 2009 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc whilst sweet mango and ripe grapefruit mingle on the palate. There is serious power to this wine but the crisp acidity keeps it fresh. The richness of fruit is balanced by a mineral seam of gravel and the finish is long and rewarding.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate95+/100
This wine has closed down since I saw it prior to bottling. A blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon from one of the great estates in Pessac-Leognan, the wine has notes of white currants, melon, and flint/crushed rock with a delicate hit of orange and lemon zest. Give it another 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/02/2012 Read more
Jancis Robinson MW17.5/20
Some nerve as well as some fat on the nose here. Firm and mineral on the finish. Real structure to this bone dry wine. Not unlike de Fieuzal but a bit richer. I feel confident that more interest will develop.
Jancis Robinson MW - jancisrobinson.com - April 2010 Read more
Wine Spectator95-98/100
This is fabulous, long and superintense, with dried pineapple and sliced apples. Dense and powerful, with a great backbone of acidity and a long, long finish. Wonderful structure in this baby white.
James Suckling - Wine Spectator - April 2010 Read more
Decanter18.5/20
Lemon yellow, quite restrained floral nose, fresh pears, green apples, shows complexity and vineyard depth, great purity and quite succulent length while retaining its restrained and impressive class. Read more
Tim Atkin MW94
The white wines from Domaine du Chevalier are always among my favourite dry white Bordeaux, even in a comparatively warm vintage like 2009. Even for a very young wine, this is impressively complex: toast, grapefruit, vanilla and a hint of banana on the nose and palate, with a fresh, tangy, minerally finish. 5+ years.
Tim Atkin - timatkin.com - April 2010 Read more

About this WINE

Domaine de Chevalier

Domaine de Chevalier

Domaine de Chevalier is one of the few Graves estates to produce both first class reds and whites. The property was purchased by the Ricard family in 1865 and remained in their hands until it was bought by the Bernard distilling company in 1983. Domaine De Chevalier has 35 hectares of vines and red wine accounts for 80% of the production. Made from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the wine is fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and then matured in oak barriques (50% new) for 18 months.

Domaine de Chevalier is fortunate to have such a fine team to run its affairs. Olivier, whose family business owns the estate, is the outgoing but canny administrator whilst Rémi Edange is hands-on, knowing every vine and every barrel. Whilst their white wines have always been amongst the very finest, the reds were simpler affairs. But from the 1995 vintage onwards greater flair and concentration was in evidence. The quality curve is now further accentuated by the team's bold move to appoint Stéphane Derenoncourt, of La Mondotte fame, as consultant winemaker. Domaine De Chevalier is classified as a Graves Cru Classé.

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Pessac-Leognan

Pessac-Leognan

In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, in Bordeaux,  based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan, the first of which lies within the suburbs of the city. Essentially this came about through pressure from Pessac-Léognan vignerons, who wished to disassociate themselves from growers with predominately sandy soils further south in Graves.

Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.

The climate is milder than to the north of the city and the harvest can occur up to two weeks earlier. This gives the best wines a heady, rich and almost savoury character, laced with notes of tobacco, spice and leather. Further south, the soil is sandier with more clay, and the wines are lighter, fruity and suitable for earlier drinking.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Haut-Brion, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, Ch. Pape Clément, Ch Haut-Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier, Ch. Larrivet-Haut-Brion, Ch. Carmes Haut-Brion, Ch. La Garde, Villa Bel-Air.

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Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon

Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon

The blend used for White Graves and Sauternes and rarely encountered outside France. In the great dry whites of Graves, Sauvignon Blanc tends to predominate in the blend, although properties such as Smith Haut Lafite use 100% Sauvignon Blanc while others such as Laville Haut Brion have as much as 60% Sémillon in their final blends. Sauvignon Blanc wines can lose their freshness and fruit after a couple of years in bottle - if blended with Sémillon, then the latter bolsters the wine when the initial fruit from the Sauvignon fades. Ultimately Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine its aroma and raciness while Sémillon gives it backbone and longevity.

In Sauternes, Sémillon is dominant, with Sauvignon Blanc playing a supporting role - it is generally harvested about 10 days before Sémillon and the botrytis concentrates its sweetness and dampens Sauvignon Blanc`s naturally pungent aroma. It contributes acidity, zip and freshness to Sauternes and is an important component of the blend.

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