Winemaker Notes
Pale gold color with some vivid glimmers. Intense and exotic floral nose of yellow peach, mangoes, and citrus fruits. Dense, generous, greedy but lively palate, without heaviness. Refines, ripe, and very delicate flesh. Long, elegant finish with great finesse. The acidity is present, without weakness, relative to the level of concentration of this wine. Excellent balance, high class wine.
Blend: 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Semillon
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This classic white wine reveals impressive potential as it unfolds. Along with its enveloping white fruits and crisp citrus it also has a wrought texture that will push it forward for the long term.
Barrel Sample: 96-98 -
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.
Barrel Sample: 96-97
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Decanter
An excellent white with precision, flesh and confidence, sure to age well. A ton of white pear and some soft pepper spice keeps up the pace and lift from beginning to end, and the intensity continues to build after the wine has left the palate - a sure sign of something special happening. A yield of 43hl/ha. Tasted twice. Unusual for me to score the red and white Chevalier at the same level, but both are extremely successful in this vintage.
Barrel Sample: 95 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another terrific vintage for this wine, the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc unwinds in the glass with aromas of nectarine, pear, nutmeg, passionflower and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, with racy acids and a bright, pure profile, it nips at the heels of the brilliant and somewhat racier, more refined 2019. Best After 2025
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Wine Spectator
A very young, powerful, coiled-up white, with verbena, mirabelle plum, quinine, gooseberry jelly and fleur de sel notes weaving together. The long finish has a flash of bitter almond but keeps a nice nervy feel, with an underlying mineral hint. One to cellar a bit and let unwind. Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
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.