DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER
2012 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Noticeably the most purple-black colour at the Pessac-Léognan tasting. Almost pine-scented. Cool and fresh. Gorgeous classical dry palate: supple with superfine tannins. Very direct, buttoned-up, crunchy, austere even. I love this but it will require some patience. Rating: 93 L&S (May 2013)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Fragrant, dark chocolate, like a box of chocolate fruits, dried herbs and some green peppercorns, something cool and cola-esque about the nose too. Dark and sultry, the opposite of the more fun and lively 2011, this is more deep and dark, knitted down, not heavy but textured with fine and lean tannins - more focussed, less wide, less charming but still nice detail and refinement. Not as enjoyable perhaps right now but with promise. Just loses the energy and harmony a bit - light with acidity more to the fore. Drinking range: 2023 - 2034 Rating: 93 Georgie Hindle - Decanter (Sept 2023)
The 2012 Domaine de Chevalier has more fruit concentration than its peers: red cherries, raspberry and loamy aromas, sous-bois emerging with time. The palate is fresh on the entry with a fine bead of acidity, cohesive and pure with a brisk finish. Whilst not the best wine that Olivier Bernard has overseen, this is giving a lot of pleasure. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. Drinking range: 2022 - 2038 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Sept 2022)
This is enjoyable, heading towards tertiary flavours with melted tannins, and layers of cigar box, salted caramel, blackberry and blueberry fruits. Has grip through the core but is welcoming rather than overly concentrated at this point. Tasted out of magnum. An estate that offers excellent consistency, and it is an easy 2012 to recommend. Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Mar 2022)
In a vintage in which so many wines are open and forward, Domaine de Chevalier's 2012 Rouge is anything but. As readers know, these wines are capable of aging for decades. The 2012 will certainly need at least a few years in bottle to blossom. With time in the glass, scents of chalk, game, smoke, incense and red cherry jam begin to appear, followed by a hint of white pepper that adds aromatic lift. This is a gorgeous wine from Domaine de Chevalier and proprietor Olivier Bernard, but readers should not be in a hurry. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Stéphane Derenoncourt is the consultant. Drinking range: 2022 - 2042 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2016)
The nose is rich deep with a mix of ripe black fruits and fresher red. The palate is the same with the rich flavours underpinned by freshness all supported by firm but ripe tannins. There is a lighter feel on the back palate yet the finish has richness of flavour. 2018-35 Rating: 90-94 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)
The Domaine de Chevalier has a lovely understated, very pure, quite feminine bouquet with seamlessly integrated oak that neatly encases the blackberry and blueberry fruit. There is a floral note that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins. There is a real backbone to this Pessac-Leognan, although the structured is disguised behind layers of velvety tannins. Gorgeous – but it deserves several years in the cellar. Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)
Deep, fully saturated ruby-purple. Blackberry, minerals, graphite and herbs on the nose, with added punch delivered by peppery spices. Sweet, supple and nicely concentrated, if with a bit less density and complexity than in recent top vintages, such as 2009 and 2010. Lovely black cherry and blueberry flavors display a tangy sweetness. The very long finish features dusty, fine-grained tannins and a clean mineral overlay. A little more concentration and I would have scored this wine much higher. Rating: 89-92 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2013)
One of the stars of the vintage, it boasts a dense purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of red and black currants, graphite, subtle flowers and well-integrated, toasty oak. Impressively built rich and medium to full-bodied without losing the quintessential elegance and finesse for which this famous estate is renowned, the 2012 Domaine de Chevalier is filled with purity, equilibrium and balance. The tannins are sweet enough that this wine should be accessible when released, and will last for 15-20 years. Is this a modern day clone of their brilliant 1953 (which I drank from magnum at Bern’s Steak House in November for less than $500!)? I was joking with proprietor Olivier Bernard, who is now the president of the Union des Grands Crus, that his position seems to be accompanied by much higher scores from wine critics. Nevertheless, there is no question that Domaine de Chevalier has been on a relatively hot streak lately, and this 2012 is a beauty. 2013 - 2033 Rating: 92-95 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)
Further proof that the top Pessac-Léognan reds were a step up on the 2011s and not far behind the quality of the 2010s, this is a very elegant, patrician wine, described as “frockcoated” by one colleague. Spice, tobacco and freshness with plenty of oak, good cassisdominated fruit and a savoury reticence. Drink: 2020-35 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2013)
Velvety black-red, impressive concentration of ripe, slightly leafy fruit, good depth and clarity, slight green. Drink: 2016 - 2030. Rating: 17.5 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2013)
Fairly rich and dense with spice and a fair amount of power this is a very good DDC with fine control, too. Rating: 18 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2013)
Fresh and nicely polished, with a rounded feel to the mix of plum skin, cherry preserve and currant notes. Alluring spice and dark tea notes fill in the finish. Sneakily long Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2013)
Very dark crimson. Very concentrated and interesting on the nose. Sweet and voluptuous. Perhaps lacking a teensy amount of energy and drive. And the tannins are a little drying on the end. Acidity and grip are marked. Very much work in progress. As usual. Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)
Domaine de Chevalier
Domaine de Chevalier, located in Léognan and surrounded by forest, enjoys a particular microclimate. Unlike some of the Pessacs which are surrounded by urban development which raises the average temperature, Chevalier is quite a cool terroir.
Olivier Bernard has owned and run the estate since 1983, and has done much to improve the quality of the wines. The white has always been one of Bordeaux's finest, and is even better now, and Bernard has dramatically increased the quality of the red, especially in the last ten years.
Domaine de Chevalier has a soil of dark sand and fine white gravel. It is planted at 10,000 vines per hectare averaging 35 years old.
There are 7 Hectares planted for white with 70% Sauvignon and 30% Sémillon.
There are 60 Hectares planted for red, comprising 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.
At the harvest the white grapes are picked in baskets with successive picking through the vines.
The red grapes are also picked in baskets, with triple sorting: first in the vines, then the complete bunch on the sorting table and third by optical sorting machine, berry by berry.
The white is pressed slowly, and settlement (débourbage) and alcoholic fermentation occur in the barrel, with 35% new wood. The wine is aged on the lees in barrel with stirring (batonnage), for 18 months.
The red grapes are vatted by gravity without pumping. The alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel and coated steel temperature-controlled vats. Maceration for 2 to 3 weeks with a maximum fermentation temperature of 30° C and manual pigeage. The wine is aged for 18 months (four months on the lees), with 35% new wood.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.