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‘[Domaine de Chevalier Rouge} possesses one of the most precise, detailed aromatic profiles that I have encountered from this estate... It has wonderful focus and class.’
Neal Martin
This week has seen a flurry of big name releases and today is no different. The headline grabbing wines are the red and white from illustrious Domaine de Chevalier. Always exceedingly popular and with good reason these are likely to be in high demand. A Margaux in the form of Brane-Cantenac offers purity and focus whilst Potensac is a great house Claret.
Domaine de Chevalier has a very particular terroir. The vineyards are flanked on three sides by pine forest. This isolation provides a certain degree of shelter from the elements yet also increases the risk of fogs and frosts. This moderating effect means that there is a wide degree of variation in the different parcels of vines depending on their proximity to the forest. This adds to the potential complexity which is ensured by rigorous hand selection and sorting in the vineyard where it is not uncommon to perk individual berries. The Rouge is a wine that impresses for its fragrance and personality. It is playful yet serious in equal measure. A seductive wine that purrs in the glass!
A rarity in Bordeaux is the producer who is more famed for their white than their red. Yet this is exactly the situation in which Domaine de Chevalier find themselves with their Blanc. An obsessive level of precision is employed in the vineyard to ensure only the finest, most luscious, golden grapes are plucked at the peak of maturity. The longest time spent in barrel of any dry Bordeaux white results in a generously textured wine with filigree complexity. This is once again one of the best wines in the whole region. As it so often does it will reward in youth and all the way into its third and fourth decade of graceful old age!
This Second Growth Margaux property, Brane Cantenac, has flourished under the stewardship of Henri Lurton. His focus on separating each plot which exhibits different characteristics allowing him to craft a wine built on details and elegance. More recently a deeper sense of structure has emerged and today the wine is quite beautiful. It is noticeable for the inclusion of a small percentage of Carmenère (the almost entirely defunct but once prevalent Bordeaux varietal) which lends a spice, tannin and colour. Delicious.
Potensac offers perennial value for those seeking all the characteristics of Claret that are so enjoyable without a hefty price tag to go along with it. The property is in the hands of the Delon family who also own Leoville Las Cases and the influence is noticeable. It offers a smooth, easy going style which rewards throughout the entirety of its lifespan. A firm favourite of those in our team who ventured out to Bordeaux this is a sure fire way to access the wines of 2015 and indulge in their quality.
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
£460 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£230 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
£235 Per 3 Magnums En Primeur
£465 Per 6 Magnums En Primeur
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.Drink 2022 – 2055.95-97/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier is one of the most striking wines of the year. Weightless, powerful and intense, the 2015 possesses crystalline delineation and precision from the very first taste. Bright red stone fruit, pomegranate, chalk and mint are some of the signatures. In the last of my four tastings, the Domaine de Chevalier showed tremendous richness and intensity as well. It will be interesting to see where the 2015 ends up. The future certainly looks bright.
93-96/100, Antonio Galloni
A delicate nose of black fruits. On the palate, the wine has a striking definition of plums and blackberries. It is full body with intense definition and purity. A wine of elegance and precision! The finish is long and promises years of beautiful evolution. One of Armit’s favourite. 18.5/20, Armit Wines
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Léognan
EXTREMELY LIMITED
£690 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£345 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
£350 Per 3 Magnums En Primeur
£700 Per 6 Magnums En Primeur
The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, which is matured in around 40% new oak, has a refined bouquet with gooseberry, lime, almond and grapefruit aromas, the oak neatly interwoven, gradually unfolding in the glass yet remaining focused. The palate has an almost flinty opening, very edgy but not shrill, a tensile and linear Domaine de Chevalier Blanc that is driven by the acidity, touches of crustacea coming through on the energetic finish. There is a twist of sour lemon and chalk popping up on the aftertaste. This is a great, intellectual, comparatively more reserved white from Olivier Bernard.Drink 2019–2040.92-94/100, Neal Martin
One of the clear wines of the vintage, the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a stunner. Rich and intense, yet also finely cut, the 2015 dazzles from the very first taste. A host of lemon confit, white peach and slate notes race across the palate. Remarkably fresh and vivid, the 2015 offers an alluring interplay of textural creaminess and energy. I imagine the 2015 will age effortlessly for decades, as these wines do. The 2015 is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon, fermented in barrel, with blocked malo. Domaine de Chevalier's Blanc remains a reference point, perhaps the reference point, for dry white wine in Bordeaux. Don't miss it! 93-96/100, Antonio Galloni
Château Brane Cantenac, 2ème Cru Classé, Margaux
£460 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£230 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
£235 Per 3 Magnums En Primeur
£465 Per 6 Magnums En Primeur
This is classic Brane-Cantenac down the line: austere at first, almost aloof, but very well defined and over time it starts revealing lovely tobacco-stained black fruit. The palate is very well balanced with raspberry and wild strawberry on the entry, perhaps more red fruit than I was anticipating. Veins of undergrowth and cedar are in situ on this very well-balanced, reserved and classic Margaux boasting a long and persistent finish that feels satisfying, reassuring even. Not a Margaux for those that seek tons of fruit, it is nonetheless a very terroir-expressive wine that will repay those who know that this cru demands preferably 12-15 years in the cellar. Drink 2030 - 2060. 93-95/100, Neal Martin
A super-expressive, deep wine, the 2015 Brane-Cantenac possesses magnificent intensity and pure power from start to finish. Dark red cherry, wild flowers, smoke, plum, tobacco, spice and game are some of the notes that build as the wine gains richness and volume with time in the glass. There is plenty of tannin lurking beneath, but it is nearly buried by the sheer opulence of the fruit, while the creamy finish alone is striking. This a deeply satisfying wine from Henri Lurton. Brane-Cantenac is another wine that is a pure pleasure bomb in 2015. Don't miss it. 92-95/100, Antonio Galloni
One of our favourites of the Margaux tastings, this wine has a bouquet of wild berry fruits with notes of tobacco. On the palate, polished tannins balance sweet plum and dark cherry fruit flavours which mingle with brambly spice notes. A wine with character and depth, the Brane-Cantenac 2015 will be delicious in five to ten years.
Drink 2023 - 2030, 17/20, Armit Wines
Château Potensac 2015, Médoc
£180 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£90 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
£95 Per 3 Magnums En Primeur
£190 Per 6 Magnums En Primeur
There is a sense of airiness on the nose: small dark cherries, crème de cassis and crushed strawberry, pretty and nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin, fresh and citrus in style, just a touch of reduction towards the finish, but they will blow off by the time it is in bottle. I would have just preferred more persistence on the finish, but otherwise this is a decent Potensac.Drink 2019 - 2030. 88-91/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 Potensac is gorgeous. Dark red cherry, plum, spice, new leather and licorice abound in this racy, voluptuous Médoc from the Delon family. Dark red cherry, mocha, plum, spice and sweet floral notes grace the racy, silky finish. The 2015 is a lovely Potensac.88-90/100, Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Potensac shows an inviting nose of dark fruit with peppery notes. The palate follows suit with slightly sweet dark fruit, a minerally core and a peppery finish. As to be expected from the Delon estate wines (Leoville Las Cases), the wine is showing a pronounced tannin structure and good freshness to give the wine the backbone for some aging.
16/20, Armit Wines
