Learn everything about Chateau Chauvin St. Emilion with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, the history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Chauvin History, Overview
Chateau Chauvin has a long history in Saint Emilion dating back to the 1500s. Chauvin started out life as part of the Corbin empire. Jumping forward to the 19th century, for a time, Chauvin was part of a much larger Bordeaux vineyard owned by Chateau Figeac.
That vineyard ended up giving birth to some of the most famous chateaux from the Saint Emilion appellation including Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Chauvin, which were all part of the same massive vineyard. At the time of its formation in 1838, when the land was purchased by the Chauvin family, the wines were sold under the name of Chateau Figeac-Chauvin.
The modern era of Chateau Chauvin begins in 1891 when Victor Ondet, the grandfather of the present owner purchased the original 4 hectare Saint Emilion property.
Over time, Chateau Chauvin was expanded, most recently in 1998, when the estate purchased an additional 2.5 hectares of St. Emilion vineyard land from the neighboring estate of Vieux Chateau Chauvin. Those additional vines helped Chateau Chauvin grow to its current 15-hectare size.
Until recently, Chateau Chauvin was managed by direct descendants of Victor Ondet, Marie-France Ondet, and Beatrice Ondet. That all changed in 2014 when Chateau Chauvin was sold by the Ondet family to Sylvie Cazes and her children.
Sylvie Cazes bought the estate and plans to manage the property with her children. If the name Sylvie Cazes sounds familiar to you, it should. She is the sister of Jean Michel Cazes and one of the owners of Chateau Lynch Bages in Pauillac.
Chateau Chauvin Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
The 16.25-hectare vineyard of Chateau Chauvin is planted to 66% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. The terroir is sand, gravel, clay, and iron soil. The vineyard is one, large, single parcel located next to the chateau. At its peak, the top of their slopes reaches 43 meters.
The average age of the vines is 30 years. However, they also have old vines. In fact, close to 35% of their vineyard has vines that are more than 35 years of age!
The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 6,500 vines per hectare. However, the newer plantings take place at 8,600 vines per hectare. The Right Bank vineyards of Chateau Chauvin are situated in the northwest portion of Saint Emilion, not too far from Pomerol and close to Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau La Dominique.
The wine of Chateau Chauvin is vinified in stainless steel tanks that vary in size from as small as 50 hectoliters up to 70 hectoliters. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels. The wine is aged in 50% to 70% new, French oak barrels for between 15 and 18 months, depending on the quality and character of the vintage.
The best vintages of Chateau Chauvin are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2010, 2009, 2005 and 2000.
On average, close to 5,000 cases of Chateau Chauvin are produced each vintage. There is a second wine, Folie de Chauvin, which was previously sold under the name of La Borderie de Chauvin.
Chateau Chauvin is a well-priced, St. Emilion, Bordeaux wine that has won a lot of wine lovers over, due to its ability to offer good quality wine with style and character, at a fair price.
When to Drink Chateau Chauvin, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Chauvin is usually better with 3-4 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. Chateau Chauvin is best enjoyed in the first 4-14 years of life.
Young vintages can be decanted for up to 1 hour or so. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Serving Chateau Chauvin with Wine and Food Pairings
Chateau Chauvin is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Chateau Chauvin is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.
Chateau Chauvin is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.
Château Chauvin Wine Tasting Notes
18 Vintages 67,795 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
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2023
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Espresso, licorice, and black cherry notes open the wine. The medium-bodied palate is soft, fragrant, and fresh, delivering a lot of sweet, though, firm, red fruits with energy, as well as a chalky texture on the palate, and in the finish. You can either enjoy this just about on release, or wait a bit, for more complexity. Drink from 2026-2038. 89-91 Pts. 1,143 Views Tasted May 4, 2024 |
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2022
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Everything worked well here starting with the floral perfume, and finishing with a medium-bodied wine loaded with silky-textured, black raspberries, cherries, licorice, and cocoa. This is the best vintage of Chateau Chauvin ever produced. Drink from 2026-2042. 294 Views Tasted Mar 1, 2025With a strong opening from its floral character, the perfume quickly moves to its black raspberry, espresso, and earthy side. The lushness in the fruits, freshness in the mid-palate, and salty, crushed stone character in the finish all work in harmony this year. This is the best vintage of Chateau Chauvin ever produced. Drink from 2026-2042. 92-94 Pts. 1,882 Views Tasted May 8, 2023 |
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2021
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Dried flowers, cardamon, red fruits and underbrush produce the nose. On the palate, the wine is fresh, soft, elegant, medium-bodied and forward, leaving you with zesty cherries with touches of licorice and a drop of citrus on the backend that will be delicious to enjoy on release. Drink from 2024-2036. 516 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2024Underbrush, red berries and floral notes form the core of this medium-bodied, bright, crisp, crunchy red pit fruit dominated wine that will be delicious to enjoy on release. Drink from 2023-2034. 89-81 1,106 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2020
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Smoky red fruits, tobacco leaf, flowers and red fruits combine to produce the attention-seeking perfume. On the palate, the wine is fresh, soft and vibrant with silky tannins and a gorgeous sweetness to the fruit in the medium-bodied finish. This could be the best vintage of Chateau Chauvin I have ever tasted! Drink from 2023-2040. 955 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023Earthy, smoky and loaded with ripe red berries, the wine is soft, elegant, fresh and vibrant. The refied finish delivers sweetness, lift and gracefully-textured red fruits on the backend. 90-92 Pts 1,478 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2020
Château Chauvin Folie de Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Medium-bodied, fresh, light, red berry dominated wine with a touch of herbs and green olives on the nose and finish that is perfect for early drinking pleasure. 85-87 Pts 939 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2019
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Flowers, cedar, smoke, licorice and red fruit aromas create the perfume. On the palate, the wine is soft, energetic and fresh, with a mid-palate and finish loaded with earthy, spicy, smoky plums and chocolate from start to finish. Drink from 2023-2035. 1,122 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Medium-bodied, fresh, bright, crisp and juicy, with a focus on its red fruit, licorice, smoke and earthy character. Give this a few years in the cellar for it to further flesh out and soften. 89-91 Pts 2,338 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2018
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
With a strong floral accent, the wine adds wet earth, licorice and plums to its nuances. Medium-bodied, soft and silky, with sweet, dark red berries and thyme on the palate and in the finish, there is good freshness and complexity found here. 1,427 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021Medium-bodied, polished, earthy and leafy with succulent cherries, plums, soft textures and roundness. The finish with its thyme-infused red fruits really hits the spot. 90-92 Pts 2,185 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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2016
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Soft and polished, with layers of sweet, ripe, juicy plums, the medium-bodied, elegant, easy to like wine serves up sweet, red cherries and licorice with ease. You can enjoy this with just a few years of age. 2,443 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019Deep in color, full bodied with more richness than usual, there is a tannic structure with enough freshness and crisp, crunchy, dark red berries to age. 1,814 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 |
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2015
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Fresh, forward, medium bodied, easy drinking, red cherry dominated fruit with earth and thyme accents. 4,042 Views Tasted May 21, 2018Good color, fresh, forward, soft, but a it feels slightly pushed, and a bit extracted for its abilities. Still the earthy, thyme and cherry finish is quite nice. 2,357 Views Tasted Mar 12, 2018Medium bodied, fresh, forward, soft, but a little pushed, during the extraction, giving it just a bit of dryness in the plummy, cherry, thyme and earthy finish. 2,547 Views Tasted Nov 22, 2017Medium bodied with a plethora of fresh, ripe berries, earth, flowers and stone, this wine is the best the estate has produced since Sylvie Cazes took over. There is an attractive softness to the elegant finish. The bottles now have a new label, which history buffs may be interested to know is a redesign of their label from the 1920s. 1,606 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2016 |
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2014
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Sporting a new label, which history buffs may be interested to know is a redesign of their label from the 1920s, the medium-bodied, floral, red berry-dominated wine is on the fresh, smooth, easy drinking side. 86-88 Pts 2,769 Views Tasted Apr 27, 2015 |
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2013
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Pleasant and easy to drink, this lighter styled wine will offer its cherry and spice profile on release. 87-89 Pts 2,228 Views Tasted Apr 28, 2014 |
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2012
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Medium bodied, with a bright red fruit character, the wine shows some sweet and tart cherries in the fresh, finish. The wine was made from a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 3,165 Views Tasted Nov 8, 2015Earth, spice, licorice and red berries with medium body and a dry finish. 86-88 Pts 3,669 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2013 |
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2011
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Easy to like and easy to drink, with its open, coffee, cherry, cocoa and earthy personalty. Medium bodied and already open, you can pop a cork on this the day it is released. 2,954 Views Tasted Nov 17, 2013 |
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2010
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Consistently one of the best value wines from St. Emilion, the 2010 continues that streak with its open, round, soft style, ripe black raspberries, spice and licorice. Drink it now, or give it a few years of age and it should be even better. 4,158 Views Tasted Sep 15, 2013 |
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2009
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Deep in color, this well priced St. Emilion offers fresh coffee, licorice, chocolate, black cherry jam and earth. Soft, round, open and already fun to taste. 4,544 Views Tasted Jul 16, 2012 |
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2008
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Licorice, spice and jammy black plums open to a soft, round, easy to like, but simple St. Emilion wine that is already accessible. 4,119 Views Tasted Sep 1, 2011 |
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2005
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Blackberry, black cherry, tobacco and gravel scents lead to a medium/full bodied wine with a sweet, plum and licorice finish. This is already starting to drink well and should deliver pleasure for at least another decade or longer. 4,708 Views Tasted Aug 1, 2011 |
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2000
Château Chauvin (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Fully mature, medium bodied charmer with an earthy, sweet, ripe, cherry, plum and tobacco nose is made even better with its thyme and spicy accents. Soft, round and easy to like, this pop and pour wine is at peak today. 5,287 Views Tasted Nov 14, 2016 |
