DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER
2020 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
Lots of blackcurrant, black cherry, lead pencil, ink, bark and black truffle on the nose. Full-bodied and very fine textured with silky tannins that are so layered and gorgeous. Fantastic length and depth. Clarity and transparency. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 5% petit verdot, and 5% cabernet franc. Best after 2029. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
* 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.
The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is brilliant. Bright, poised and wonderfully pure, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier marries the radiance of the year with tremendous freshness. Red cherry fruit, blood orange, mint, star anise and cinnamon all meld together. The 2020 is a wine built on aromatic presence and persistence, more so than heft, with all the elements very nicely balanced. What a wine! Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2030 - 2060 Rating: 96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Exactly as you hope to find a great Bordeaux at this stage, still very much firm in its tannic structure, rippled with clear cinammon, turmeric and black pepper notes alongside creamy cassis, blackberry, bilberry, cigar box, smoked earth. A brilliant Chevalier. 38hl/h yield. Drinking range: 2027 - 2048 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier has a concentrated, well-defined bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, tobacco, hickory and wild hedgerow. Touches of pressed iris flower surface with aeration. Generous, yet it maintains ample delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, white pepper and touches of tobacco, very fine depth, focused and perhaps a little more muscular than other vintages with a sapid finish that is surprising given the growing season. Superb. Drinking range: 2026 - 2058 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Well-built, pulling ample and weighty waves of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry preserves along, atop a broad spine of warm loam, smoldering tobacco and singed alder. Long and deep through the fine-grained finish, with a warm paving stone note that won't quit, thanks to well-buried acidity—not an easy feat in this vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drinking range: 2028 - 2038 Rating: 95 The Wine Spectator, www.winespectator.com (Dec 2022)
There is a lot of attack here and the tannin and oak seem balanced, but my main problem is that the fruit is a little too drying and a fraction under-ripe. This means that the acidity is sour and hard and it rather spoils the finish. I am not sure how this will resolve itself and so I have awarded a cautious score. I would love to be proved wrong here. Rating: 16.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is going to need a number of years to unwind. Rich, heady and super-concentrated, the 2020 is so impressive, right out of the gate. Crushed rocks, rose petal, cedar, pomegranate and mint all build as the 2020 shows off its vibrant, layered personality. Domaine de Chevalier remains one of the most under the radar wines in all of Bordeaux. The 2020 is an absolutely brilliant effort from Olivier Bernard and his team. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2035 - 2055 Rating: 95-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier, which was cropped at 38hl/ha, is deep purple with glints of blue. The bouquet is very clean, precise and focused, not dissimilar to the impressive Malartic Lagravière that I tasted alongside, touches of wet granite and truffle emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. This Domaine de Chevalier has a deeply impressive structure counterbalanced by equally impressive freshness and elegance, fanning out wonderfully on the finish, which is very persistent. Just a shade off the outstanding 2019... perhaps. Drinking range: 2026 - 2058 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
From an estate that’s been on fire over the past decade, the 2020 Domaine De Chevalier is another brilliant wine in the making and checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Offering impressive cassis and darker berry fruits, it has complex notes of crushed flowers, violets, and damp earth-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins and a silky, layered, seamless texture, it shines for both its richness and its balance. It also shuts down quite quickly, so if you’re going to drink bottles, try one in its youth. Otherwise, be sure to give bottles 7-8 years in a cold cellar. It should have 30-40 years of overall longevity. Rating: 95-97 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier comes skipping out of the glass with energetic scents of ripe red and black currants, fresh blackberries and boysenberries, plus nuances of wild sage, cloves and cedar with a waft of lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate surprises and delights with an unexpected richness and depth that remains locked away on the nose, revealing layers of fragrant earth and floral notions framed by fantastic freshness and firm, finely grained tannins, finishing with the most gorgeous, long-lingering perfume. Drinking range: 2026 - 2053 Rating: 95 - 97+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)
Dark in color, the wine pops with notes of Cuban cigars, smoke, black currants, flowers, blackberries, forest leaf and an intriguing hint of orange rind at the end of the nose. Full-bodied, plush, polished and well-defined, every layer offers nuance with silk and velvet textures. There is lift, energy, volume and depth on the palate, finishing with waves of dark red currants, creme de cassis, tobacco leaf, blackberry, savory herbs and a gentle wisp of spearmint on the backend. It is going to be quite a treat comparing 2018, 2019 and 2020 over the years. I am certain this will age and evolve for at least 3 decades or more from here. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 3 % Cabernet Franc 13.7% ABV. Rating: 96 - 98 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (May 2021)
Concentrated ruby red colour, a little subdued on the nose, built with structure and power, concentrated and should age well. Classical, powerful, not exuberant, an impressive Chevalier that has tannins and fruit and freshness, nothing shouting too loud. As it opens, you see a peony floral edge that is very attractive. Easily among the best in Pessac. A yield of 38hl/ha. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Spicy nose. Pretty saline and mineral on the palate – non flashy but with lots locked in there. And no shortage at all of tannin but it's ripe enough. Very much a work in progress but with a certain lusciousness of embryonic fruit. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
Delicately perfumed and smoky, even slightly ethereal. Juicy and long with medium-bodied weight. Compact but refined tannins offer a firm structure. Dry and very Graves. Slightly chewy finish. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 17- James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
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 on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.