2021 Domaine de Chevalier

The 2021 Domaine de Chevalier comes across as quite shy and reticent in this vintage. The aromatics are beguiling, but on the palate, the wine feels a bit strict and clamped down. Crushed flowers, sweet red-toned fruit, spice, mint and blood orange emerge, but only with great reluctance. It will be interesting to see how the 2021 develops over time. Tasted twice.

- Antonio Galloni (12/2023)

This is very impressive for the vintage, with a vertical depth and structure of extremely polished tannins. It’s full and precise, with berries, dark chocolate, bark, iodine and walnuts throughout. Extremely well done. Best after 2027. (07/2024)

Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2021 Domaine De Chevalier is based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, with harvest not wrapping up until October 15. It's a terrific wine in the vintage offering ripe currant and darker berry fruits as well as classy oak, graphite, and scorched earth nuances. This medium-bodied, concentrated, balanced 2021 has ripe tannins, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It actually reminds me slightly of the estate’s 2014, albeit in a slightly fresher package. (04/2024)

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It needs some patient swirling and shaking to wake up notes of crushed blackcurrants, kirsch, and juicy plums, followed by nuances of violets, mossy tree bark, and wild sage. The medium-bodied palate has a wonderfully fine-grained texture and great tension supporting the tightly wound red and black fruit layers, finishing long and perfumed. (04/2024)

The 2021 Domaine de Chevalier reveals a deep, complex bouquet with aromas of blackberries and blueberries mingled with spices, cigar wrapper and coniferous forest floor, followed by a medium to full-bodied, sweet and concentrated palate animated by bright acids and framed by fine, powdery tannins. It's an impressive effort that will reward a bit of bottle age. It's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

- Yohan Castaing (02/2024)