Winemaker Notes
Pale gold color with green hues. An explosive nose of peach, citrus and acacia flower mixed with eucalyptus and menthol. Ripe and gourmand, very good structure with a min-eral acidity giving a fresh and stony flavor. Cocktail of white fruits in the finale. Balance and persistence.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The intense, grassy and pithy-lemon aromas, as well as a swathe of fresh herbs, all make for an attractive young wine. The palate has mouthwateringly fresh, lemony acidity and delivers a very energetic, flavorful impression. Second wine of Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. A blend of 60 per cent sauvignon and 40 per cent semillon. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine of Domaine de Chevalier is no slouch and is well worth seeking out. The 2016 L'Esprit de Chevalier Blanc offers vibrant notes of white peach and citrus pith as well as a medium-bodied, fresh, crisp style on the palate. It has terrific balance and is a beauty.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh, with a racy honeysuckle and quinine frame around a core of lemon zest, white peach and star fruit notes. Stays crunchy and bright through the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 L' Esprit de Chevalier Blanc features lemon meringue pie, lime cordial and orange blossoms scents with a touch of fennel seed. Medium-bodied, it fills the palate with mouthwatering citrusy layers, and a touch of savoriness comes through on the finish.
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.