Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a phenomenal white with big density and energy. Full bodied, yet incredibly agile and intense. Fabulous character of salt, minerals, and shells. Just a hint of tannins. Dried white peaches. Pears and apples. Super subtle character. 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% semillon. Great wine. A wine for the future but so great now
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is very refined on the nose. There is a sense of effortlessness here that is very persuasive, unfolding with lemon thyme and lime, just a touch of lychee in the background, everything in its right place. The palate is fresh and vibrant with nectarine and lime zest, a "cool" white Bordeaux, quite restrained and almost Chablis-like on the finish. This is a complex and intellectual offering from Olivier Bernard, dare I say, a thrilling wine in the making.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.