Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Pessac-Léognan 2020
Domaine de Chevalier
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is one of the most quietly brilliant white Bordeaux produced today. The 2020 vintage shows the house's mastery of barrel fermentation and lees aging — the oak is there, but it serves the wine rather than defining it. This will evolve beautifully for 15-plus years, but it is already compelling now.
Nose
White flowers and citrus zest greet you first — lemon, grapefruit — followed by a subtle toasted hazelnut note from barrel fermentation. Honey and a faint green apple acidity hover in the background. There is a waxy, almost lanolin quality that signals serious aging potential.
Palate
Concentrated and precise. Citrus and green apple form the acid backbone, while the oak-driven texture — creamy, buttery, but never heavy — gives it volume and length. A marzipan character develops through the mid-palate, and a woody spice emerges on the back end.
Finish
Long and mineral-driven, with toasted almond and citrus persisting. The oak influence is seamless, adding structure without weight.
- Varietal
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Blend
- 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon
- Vineyards
- Domaine de Chevalier estate, Léognan, gravelly clay-sand soils
- Alcohol
- 14%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
- Skin Contact
- No
Food Pairing
Roasted Dover sole with brown butter and capers
Olivier Bernard has stewarded Domaine de Chevalier in the gravelly soils of Léognan since 1983, and his white — from a tiny 5-hectare parcel — is barrel-fermented and aged 18 months on lees in French oak, producing one of Bordeaux's most age-worthy whites.
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