Domaine de Chevalier Graves Pessac Leognan Bordeaux Wine

 Domaine de Chevalier

 

 

Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux wine producer profile, with wine tasting notes, wine ratings, a history of the property, information on wine making and terroir, along with wine tasting reviews. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

The owners of Domaine de Chevalier, the Bernard family,  have a long history dating all the way back to the 1155!  Documents are available stating  that the  Count of Angoulême awarded the Bordeaux wine property to  Chasteau-Bernard for his for his  valour in battle against the English. 

Domaine de Chevalier in  the Graves/Pessac Leognan,   appellation, was purchased in 1865 by Arnaud Ricard and his son Jean  the Bernard family for 33,000 francs.  At the time, the Ricards were familiar with the Bordeaux wine trade as they worked as coopers.  in 1865, the estate went under the Gascon name of  ”Chivaley”.   The 44 hectare  property was used for mostly food crops and breeding. While there was a tiny Bordeaux wine making operation, it was not the main interest of the property.

Shortly after the elder Ricard passed away, the son discovered the outstanding potential of Chevalier’s soil and transformed it a full time vineyard. The name was changed from “Chivaley” to the French “Chevalier”. When Jean Ricard died, his son-in-law, Gabriel Beaumartin, took over and managed the Bordeaux wine estate for the next 4 decades.

When Gabriel Beaumartin died in 1940,  no one was interested in managing the estate. After a few years,  Claude Ricard, Jean’s son, started at Chevalier in 1948. He was only 21 years old.  Under Claude Ricard, Domaine de Chevalier was included in the 1959 Graves Classification. When Domaine de Chevalier  was purchased 1983, OlivierBernard was not much older at 23 years of age.    By the time Bernard arrived, Claude Ricard had already managed the estate for over thirty years.

Olivier Bernard’s first decision was to retain maintain the same wine making team, consisting today of Rémi Edange, assistant director and  the technical director, Thomas Stonestreet.   In 1985, they purchased additional plots which almost doubled the vineyard in size.  They began a replanting program lasting from 1988 to 1995.  Currently, for the red, they have 30 hectares of vines while 5 are devoted to the white.

Some of the work Olivier started was removing the trees bordering the vineyard that were most susceptible to frost. Next, was the renovation project entailing  the construction of the new winemaking facilities to accommodate increased production. The new architectural style was functional, and in keeping with the original structure.

The ultra-modern vat room was the focal point of the whole project. Its cylindrical shape projects from the front of the building, and makes excellent use of volume and light. These investments were made on a very long-term basis (all recent profits have been ploughed back into the infrastructure).

The complex terroir starts with the forest that  surrounds the estate on three sides. This enhances the extremes of temperature and increase the risk of frost. This situation can produce an early harvest if given the right care and attention. The soil consists gravelly black sand, an average 60-90 cm deep. Even though the soil appears  homogeneous, variations in depth and the thickness of the gravelly vein account for a mosaic of different soil types. In truth, the soil is meagre, acidic and porous. The rich sub-soil consists of a clay-gravel base mixed with hardpan. Vine roots sink deeply into such soil, and find proper nourishment whatever the variations in rainfall.  The vineyard drainage system, built in 1962, is exemplary. It eliminates excess water during heavy rainfall. This is highly useful since the sub-soil is prone to retain humidity. A wind machine installed, and smudge pots put in. Occasionally, helicopters are also used. The blades mix up the lower-lying layer of cold air with warmer air, avoiding frost damage. 

Domaine de Chevalier consists of 80 hectares, 35 of which are currently under vine. The vineyard benefits from ideal sun exposure thanks to its north-south orientation. The vines are relatively young (average 20 years old) due to replanting and the fact that the vineyard has frequently been hit by frost.  Domaine de Chevalier has a density of 10,000 vines per hectare (the average for the appellation being 6,500 per hectare). This creates strong competition between the vines and produces small, thick-skinned grapes that are especially rich in color, aroma and tannin. This measure also helps keep yields low. Combined with the naturally meagre soil, it also tends to shorten the growing season. 

The grape varieties have been carefully chosen to make the most of the soil. The ideal proportions were discovered by trial and error and are now definitive.  The white wine is made from 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon.  The red wine consists of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc (not counting the tiny plot of Petit Verdot planted in 1995).

The vines are earthed up in the winter. This deep ploughing also aerates the roots. During the rest of the year, the soil is gently cultivated with special equipment: forks, small vineyard ploughs, etc. Fertilizers are used very sparingly, and only to replace what has been taken away from the soil. The organic fertilizers are administered plot by plot after extensive analyses. Proper ripening, good concentration and an early harvest all depend on low yields. The limited use of fertilizers is one of the main factors here. Chemical fertilisers are directly assimilated and nourish the soil. However, they do so at the expense of the terroir‘s “special something”… Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, break down slowly and supply natural nutriments without disrupting the soil’s balance.

 The estate practices The Guyot-double pruning method leaves a maximum of 6 buds per vine. Suckering takes place in May followed by dédoublage, a A long and meticulous process that consists of removing contre-bourgeons  (extraneous buds that sap the vine’s vigour) next to the main bud with the thumb after pruning.  Bunch thinning is considered as a last resort for older vines, (though is done systematically for young vines). The lower, better-nourished bunches are spared.

The ecological approach taken by Bernard created a remarkable environmental balance, which is confirmed by the presence of indigenous yeast.  Spraying is mostly done to fight against mildew, oïdium and black rot.  Furthermore, Domaine de Chevalier makes increasing use of mating confusion in order to eliminate worms that cause grey rot.

 

At harvest, the estate takes a unique approach. Since sorting is done exclusively in the vineyard, trust is not placed in sorting tables. These are suspected of letting unwanted matter such as rotten grapes (that come off the bunch more easily) slip through and detract from the quality of the juice. Sorting in the vineyard needs to be done in several waves, particularly for the white wine. It is common for the white wine grapes to be picked and sorted in five waves in difficult years., and for the grapes to be harvested one by one, like in Sauternes.

 

The white wine is entirely fermented and aged in70% new oak  barrels.  This choice entails a great deal of extra work, but gives the wine an inimitable taste and provides the best possible components for final blending. After light pressing, the juice is run off into barrel. The heaviest fermentation lees precipitate out after 18-24 hours. Chevalier has a special cold room (the only other one in Bordeaux is at Chateau Margaux) to bring the barrel temperature gradually down to 18/20° C.  This is very important to start fermentation gently, and in order to capture delicate, fresh fruit flavors. Fermentation temperatures reach 25° C, sometimes even 27/28° C.  The extraction in barrel is much better than in vat (where temperatures rarely exceed 22° C). This high temperature extraction is only possible with excellent fruit.  Leaving the wine on its lees, and regularly stirring the wine with a stick, definitely leads to increased quality. This technique, was instituted by Professor Denis Dubourdieu of the Bordeaux Faculty of Oenology,  not only prevents oxidation, but also gives the wine “a richer, silkier character, power, a more elegant bouquet and great ageing potential”.

White Domaine de Chevalier is left on its lees until the end of summer. It then spends a second winter in barrels – which is absolutely unique for a dry white Bordeaux wine – before bottling in the spring.

The red wine vats have a 100-150 hectolitre capacity, perfectly corresponding to the size of vineyard plots on the estate.  The stainless steel vats are wider than they are high (2.85 m. in diameter and 2.50 m. in height). This enhances the natural extraction of colour and tannin.   Fermentation temperatures (which sometimes reach as high as 31-32° C) gradually drop 1 or 2° C per day, “in order to obtain the same thermal inertia as traditional oak vats” explains Olivier Bernard.   One of the unique procedures at Chevalier is breaking up the cap while pumping over. This gentle extraction-enhancing technique, has mostly disappeared for the majority of Bordeaux wine makers. But this was never abandoned at Chevalier. It is carried out using openings 1.2 m. in diameter at the top of the vats. “At Chevalier, we like to work with wine in the vat from above, like in the old days” explains Olivier Bernard. He believes that breaking up the cap is a very important traditional method that should be continued. One third of the red wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels. This adds richness to their Bordeaux wine.  The deposit of colloids on the inside of the barrels slows down heat exchange and avoids overbearing oak aromas. As positive an influence as this may be, experience has shown that one-third new oak provides the best balance.  The quality of press wine is such that some, if not all, can be blended with the free-run juice. This press wine provides elegant balance and enormous ageing potential to Domaine de Chevalier.

The blend earlier than many estates in Pessac Leognan. According to Bernard, this was recommended by Professor Peynaud, and is also borne out by our experience.  Red Domaine de Chevalier is tasted on a regular basis, from the time the wine is run off from the fermentation vats to blending in December. Blind tastings are carried out by   management staff, along with Professors Pascal Ribereau-Gayon and Denis Dubourdieu from the Bordeaux Faculty of Oenology. 

After very strict selection, the grand vin accounts for 50-60% of total production, the second wine (L’Esprit de Chevalier), approximately 30%, and the third wine, 10-15%. The latter is charming, but early-maturing and less complex than the other two, and is sold simply under the generic Pessac-Léognan appellation.

White wine blending is also carried out fairly early (late December/early January) in order to improve overall balance.  The white wine is left on its lees until June of the year following the harvest, then racked. It is racked once again and spends a second winter in barrels, before fining. All in all, the wine spends 18 months in oak barrels.   At the end of this long period, the wine is clear and requires only light filtering.

As with the white wine, Domaine de Chevalier’s red wine is entirely barrel-aged. It is racked every three months using a gravity flow system.  The grand vin spends from 14-24 months in barrel, and the proportion of new oak varies from 40-75%, depending on the vintage. The second wine, “L’Esprit de Chevalier”, is aged for approximately 12 months in two year-old barrels.  The third wine spends an average of 10 months in 2-4 year-old barrels.

The Bordeaux wine vineyard is located in a deep layer of gravelly sand. For the white Bordeaux wine, 7 hectares are planted to 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon. For the red wine, 23 hectares are planted to 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec with a vine density of 6,600 vines per hectare.

The white Bordeaux wine is fermentated in barrels. The red Bordeaux wine fermentation takes place in in temperature-controlled, 150-hectolitre vats. The white wine is aged for 9 months in barrels and the red is aged for about 12 months in barrels.

www.domainedechevalier.com/

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