Winemaker Notes
The Bernard Family, by calling its second wine L’Esprit de Chevalier, wanted above all for it to carry the hallmark of Chevalier and to reflect the « Spirit » of the estate, combining powerfulness and complexity but also finesse and elegance in total respect of the “terroir”. The red L’Esprit de Chevalier is an appealing wine, ready to be appreciated earlier than the main wine (3 to 5 years old).
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is really perfumed with rose petals and citrus fruit. It's medium-bodied with brightness and fine tannins that caress the palate. Focused. Vivid. The second wine of Domaine de Chevalier. Drink after 2027.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 L'Esprit De Chevalier offers a spicy, complex profile with a supple, rounded texture and an elegant, balanced profile. Medium to full-bodied with fine tannins and an undeniably delicious style, it’s well worth buying and drinking over the coming decade or so.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 L'Esprit de Chevalier unfurls from the glass with aromas of cassis, mulberries, spices and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, textured and layered, it’s elegant and seamless with good depth at the core and youthful, delicate tannins. Concluding with a long, penetrating and ethereal finish, it is a real success.
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Vinous
The 2022 L’Esprit de Chevalier is soft, supple and inviting—in other words, everything a second wine should be. Crushed flowers, bright red-toned fruit, mint, spice and white pepper are nicely delineated. There's lovely energy here. -Antonio Galloni
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Wine Spectator
Shows an enticing sense of freshness in the form of savory and violet details that gently infuse the core of warmed cassis and dark cherry paste. There's a subtle, leathery tug through the finish, which offers nice polish and a late iron twang. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2036.
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Decanter
Deep and concentrated aromas of blackcurrant leaf, strawberry and dried herbs on the nose. Smooth and fruity, this is really juicy and alive. Fruit focused and driving with the acidity at the fore. A really enjoyable and accessible wine with plenty of menthol chalkiness too and some soft salinity that really elongates the flavours. Not layered as such but really cool, driving and enjoyable.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.