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  • Country ranking ?

    1 147
  • Producer ranking ?

    29
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035

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The Story

The winemaker’s role is to reflect the best the terroir has to offer and to reproduce the intrinsic taste parameters that correspond to Domaine de Chevalier.

Olivier Bernard describes Domaine de Chevalier’s white wines: “Our aim is not to make the wine as fruity as possible at all costs. Measured extraction and barrel ageing create very complex wines – beautifully fresh, never heavy, and with an incredibly long aftertaste that “unfolds like...

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Wine Information

The 2012 Bordeaux vintage is a year for vineyard management and workers. Call it a wine makers vintage, or change your tune and name it vineyard managers vintage. Either descriptor works perfectly. The estates with the financial ability to take the necessary actions in the vineyards during the season, coupled with the willingness to severely declassify unripe grapes will produce the best wines. Even then, it’s going to be a difficult vintage w...

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Tasting note

color

Light and Pale

ending

Medium

flavors

Spice

taste

Average in Acidity, High alcohol content and Medium tannin

Verdict

Fine

Written Notes

A dark and deep colour with powerful notes on the nose, some black fruit but a little bit animal on the nose too. Strong tanins with long finish, hope the time will polish the discreet harshness in the end. Well done

  • 95p

Ruby. Scented, layered, red berries, fruity nose, some minerals, vanilla. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, elegant, red berries, some spices, long. 92

  • 92p

Deep and intense color. Generous and fresh nose of ripe fruits. Red and black berries mixed with lightly peppery spices. Presence of mineral. Menthol and liquorice.
Immediate fruit and freshness on the palate. Full bodied wine with structuring ripe and supple tannins without hiding finesse and complexity. Nice acidity gives tension and freshness.
Very long class finish.

DRUVSAMMANSÄTTNING 65% CS, 30% M, 2,5% CF, 2,5% PV TASTINGNOTE En mycket vacker blå-svart färg. Perfekt mogna druvor, en av de smidigaste och mest kompletta vin som någonsin producerats av denna berömda egendom, bra längd och perfekt lojalt gjort vin helt appellationens anda.
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Information

Origin

Bordeaux, Pessac Leognan

Inside Information

FINE: When did you start to bring in your fruit for 2012 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc?

Olivier Bernard: “We started the white wine harvest September 12 with the Sauvignon Blanc. The final Sauvignon Blanc was brought in September 20. The Semillon was harvested from September 20, through September 24.” 

FINE From a technical viewpoint, what are your technical analysis showing for Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon?

Olivier Bernard “For the Sauvignon Blanc, the potential average alcohol levels are quite good. We are at an average of 14.1% with the pH coming in at 3.2.” 

FINE: I know it’s early, as the fruit is just starting its vinification, but does the Domaine de Chevalier 2012 white wine remind of any previous Bordeaux vintage?

Olivier Bernard “It looks like a combination of 2000 and 2009, based on the weather conditions and balance for Pessac Leognan.” 

FINE: What do you like about the fruit that you have been bringing in?

Olivier Bernard “We achieved great power and freshness. The fruit is clean, pure and offers fantastic ripeness with balance, due to very good acidities. This will help bring a nice tension to the wine. It’s all you need to make a top white wine!” 

FINE: What about for the red wine?

Olivier Bernard “Malolactic fermentation is taking place right now. Some of the lots are finished. The red 2012 Domaine de Chevalier seems full bodied and displays ripe flavors. The level of quality is much better than we expected. We are very happy.” 

FINE: What caused you the most problems with the 2012 Domaine de Chevalier growing season?

Olivier Bernard “For the red 2012 Domaine de Chevalier, it was the lateness of the picking dates. We had to take great risks with the forecast to pick grapes with ripe skins. The sugar and acidity were perfect, but as you know, the skins were late.” While a growing season is never over until it’s over, uneven flowering is never a good omen. The lateness in the flowering pushed the entire vintage back 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the chateaux. Generally speaking, late harvests are not usually harbingers of good things to come.

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