Tasting Notes
Vinous 94
The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier has a typical nose from this Pessac-Leognan estate. It's understated but beguiling, with cedar, undergrowth-tinged red fruit and just a subtle background dab of peppermint. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. This is fleshy for a Domaine de Chevalier and perhaps has less grip. A judicious dash of black pepper enlivens the finish and there is a bit more persistence than I recall. The 2015 is delicious from the start. Tasted at the 2015 Ten-Year-On tasting at Bordeaux Index.
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2048
Wine Advocate 95
The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot picked from 23 September until 15 October at just 35 hl/ha, matured in 35% new oak. It has a sophisticated bouquet that is more reserved than its peers. It possesses one of the most precise, detailed aromatic profiles that I have encountered from this estate, wonderfully poised with black fruit, incense and cold stone. It has wonderful focus and class. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, very complex with lightly peppered black fruit. What marks this Domaine de Chevalier is the reserve and precision on the finish, a wine that is holding something back for its secondary evolution, a salinity that beckons you back for another sip. What a fabulous, intellectual wine from Olivier Bernard. Expect four decades of drinking pleasure – probably more – given my experience of ancient vintages. Tasted three times with consistent notes.
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2055
