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Buy Wine from Domaine de Chevalier
Domaine de Chevalier is one of the most famous properties in the Graves department for its white and red wine production. The name Chevalier has its origin in the Gascon term “Chivaley” which means “knight” and it is due to a route of the Way of St. James, or Camino de Santiago, that in the 17th century passed through the dense forest surrounding the estate and which was used by many pilgrim knights.
In 1865 Domaine de Chevalier was purchased by Arnaud and Jean Ricard, a Bordeaux family who work as coopers and had direct contact with wine business. At the beginning the manor was devoted to farming and cattle raising but as the years went by the family realized the possibilities of the land and they re-directed their use to grapevines. In 1983 Olivier Bernard acquired the château and today he is still leading the winery. He counts with Rémi Edange as assistant manager and Thomas Stonestreet as technical director.
Domaine de Chevalier is settled in Léognan municipality and its wines are produced under the AOC Pessac-Léognan. It has 45 hectares of vineyard surrounded by leafy forests that favour vines suffering from cold winters' frosts and also maintain a high humidity rate. For this reason it is clearly noticeable in the middle of the vineyard some fan installation and in hard years they even use helicopters.
Vines are 25 years old in average and many of them were replanted due to frosts attack. The plantation density is about 10.000 vines per hectare and they practice double guyot pruning with a maximum of six buds in each plant. Domaine de Chevalier typical soils are dark sands and white gravel, with stony and sandy subsoil. Most of the land (40 hectares) is applied to the red varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (63%), Merlot (30%), Petit Verdot (5%) and Cabernet Franc (2%) and there are only 5 hectares for white wines made of Sauvignon Blanc (70%) and Sémillon (30%).
Wine making at Domaine de Chevalier is quite special and they have the oenological support of Denis Debourdieu and Stéphane Derenoncourt; M. Debordiue is oenology professor in the University of Bordeaux and manager in different châteaux at Sauternes, Cadillac and Graves appellations, as well as Cheval Blanc's counsellor and friend of the Dagueneau family, so he keeps the best secrets of each maison.
And, how are Domaine de Chevalier wines? Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is made of Sémillon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc which production is only 18.000 bottles a year. At harvest time they made even three passes per grapevine in order to select the perfect maturity point. Once berries are pressed, racking cold is carried out in oak barrels before the alcoholic fermentation that will also take place in barrels. Finally wine remains with its finest lees for 18 months ageing. What does it taste like? Surely it tastes like more; it has clear green apple, lime and jelly on a singular mineral shield. It goes great with anything garnished with truffle such a summer salad or roasted sea scallops with truffle. Domaine de Chevalier is created from a selection in the vineyard and a second selection in vibrating table that allows rejecting any unhealthy berry. The barrelling then takes place in stainless steel tanks by gravity and a cold pre-fermentation maceration starts for about a week which enables the primary aromas to be extracted. Alcoholic fermentation takes place next, with daily pumping over and cap-plunging to draw tannins and colour. Once fermentation is finished, hot maceration is carried out, raising the vat temperature up to 32ºC. Finally wine is aged in French oak barrels (50% new ones) for 18 months. Shall we uncork a bottle? Smoke, earth, spices, liquorice and chocolate flavours and a long silky path will caress your palate. And L'Esperit de Chevalier, both red and white, is Domaine de Chevalier‘s second wine, with an annual output of 80.000 bottles, both of them perfect to be enjoyed still young.
Domaine de Chevalier, riding with the best in Pessac-Léognan.
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Buy Wine from Domaine de Chevalier
Domaine de Chevalier is one of the most famous properties in the Graves department for its white and red wine production. The name Chevalier has its origin in the Gascon term “Chivaley” which means “knight” and it is due to a route of the Way of St. James, or Camino de Santiago, that in the 17th century passed through the dense forest surrounding the estate and which was used by many pilgrim knights.
In 1865 Domaine de Chevalier was purchased by Arnaud and Jean Ricard, a Bordeaux family who work as coopers and had direct contact with wine business. At the beginning the manor was devoted to farming and cattle raising but as the years went by the family realized the possibilities of the land and they re-directed their use to grapevines. In 1983 Olivier Bernard acquired the château and today he is still leading the winery. He counts with Rémi Edange as assistant manager and Thomas Stonestreet as technical director.
Domaine de Chevalier is settled in Léognan municipality and its wines are produced under the AOC Pessac-Léognan. It has 45 hectares of vineyard surrounded by leafy forests that favour vines suffering from cold winters' frosts and also maintain a high humidity rate. For this reason it is clearly noticeable in the middle of the vineyard some fan installation and in hard years they even use helicopters.
Vines are 25 years old in average and many of them were replanted due to frosts attack. The plantation density is about 10.000 vines per hectare and they practice double guyot pruning with a maximum of six buds in each plant. Domaine de Chevalier typical soils are dark sands and white gravel, with stony and sandy subsoil. Most of the land (40 hectares) is applied to the red varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (63%), Merlot (30%), Petit Verdot (5%) and Cabernet Franc (2%) and there are only 5 hectares for white wines made of Sauvignon Blanc (70%) and Sémillon (30%).
Wine making at Domaine de Chevalier is quite special and they have the oenological support of Denis Debourdieu and Stéphane Derenoncourt; M. Debordiue is oenology professor in the University of Bordeaux and manager in different châteaux at Sauternes, Cadillac and Graves appellations, as well as Cheval Blanc's counsellor and friend of the Dagueneau family, so he keeps the best secrets of each maison.
And, how are Domaine de Chevalier wines? Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is made of Sémillon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc which production is only 18.000 bottles a year. At harvest time they made even three passes per grapevine in order to select the perfect maturity point. Once berries are pressed, racking cold is carried out in oak barrels before the alcoholic fermentation that will also take place in barrels. Finally wine remains with its finest lees for 18 months ageing. What does it taste like? Surely it tastes like more; it has clear green apple, lime and jelly on a singular mineral shield. It goes great with anything garnished with truffle such a summer salad or roasted sea scallops with truffle. Domaine de Chevalier is created from a selection in the vineyard and a second selection in vibrating table that allows rejecting any unhealthy berry. The barrelling then takes place in stainless steel tanks by gravity and a cold pre-fermentation maceration starts for about a week which enables the primary aromas to be extracted. Alcoholic fermentation takes place next, with daily pumping over and cap-plunging to draw tannins and colour. Once fermentation is finished, hot maceration is carried out, raising the vat temperature up to 32ºC. Finally wine is aged in French oak barrels (50% new ones) for 18 months. Shall we uncork a bottle? Smoke, earth, spices, liquorice and chocolate flavours and a long silky path will caress your palate. And L'Esperit de Chevalier, both red and white, is Domaine de Chevalier‘s second wine, with an annual output of 80.000 bottles, both of them perfect to be enjoyed still young.
Domaine de Chevalier, riding with the best in Pessac-Léognan.