1996 Domaine de Chevalier
Buying options
Tasting notes
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Harvested 27 September to 11 October. Deep, dark core with brick at the rim. Slightly stewed and stern aromatically. Chewy and drying on the finish. Even a bitter edge from the acidity. It’s not usually the case at Chevalier but was the extraction perhaps forced a little? (JL)
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1996 Domaine de Chevalier offers blackberry, gravel and a touch of animal fur on the nose, with a touch of Brett lurking off-stage. But I appreciate that this is just very… Pessac. The palate is medium-bodied with a granular texture and modest weight. The fruit is blacker than the 1996 La Tour Haut-Brion served alongside, with a lightly spiced and youthful finish. Tasted at La Trompette at the WIMPS Bordeaux lunch.
Tasted at the château, the 1996 Domaine de Chevalier certainly surpassed my expectations even though I would caution that I think Olivier Bernard has made better vintages since then. Deep in color, the nose is quite captivating with black fruit, brine and crushed stone. I like the strictness here -- very 1996 in style. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a svelte texture. The bead of acidity lends this tension although I found that finish surprisingly backward and just lacked that peacock's tail that would have warranted a higher score. Of course, there is a chance that this could come with time because it is undeniably very well balanced and pure. It just needs a bit more ... ambition. Tasted July 2016.
About the producer
Since buying the property in 1983, the Bernard family has cemented Domaine de Chevalier’s reputation as one of the Graves’s finest red and white wine producers, known for their sophisticated and elegant wines.