2018 Domaine de Chevalier Pessac Leognan,GCC 1,5 l rouge

Diam 30 closure. Deeper straw colour than most. Broad and flattering on the nose. Lots of meatiness. Fine wine with depth and length. Quite Sauvignon-influenced but with real substance. (JR)

This is the wine that I opened the night the preview pages of my new website went live, which tells you that I consider it a special occasion wine, something to really sit back with and enjoy. Not only that, but I kept it in the fridge for a week, just having a glass every few days, and it delivered consistently through to the last drop, because there is structure and flesh to the lemon, white pear, lychee and freshly cut herb flavours, with oyster shell salinity. 30% new oak. 7ha of white grapes here, and one of the most consistenly ageable whites in Bordeaux. Harvesting always takes place over several trips through the vineyard with never more than 30% of the fruit picked at any one time.

Here is another wine that needed aeration to really show its mettle, albeit not as much as others. The 2018 Domaine de Chevalier initially comes across a little ordinary. You ask yourself: What’s the fuss all about? But after 60–90 minutes it reveals an absolutely divine nose of raspberry, crushed rose petals, wild mint and Provençal herbs, beautifully defined and gaining intensity with each passing moment. The palate is very well balanced, the predominantly red fruit framed by fine tannins that provide the backbone to this Domaine de Chevalier, yet the overriding impression is one of elegance and finesse. An utterly sublime Pessac-Léognan that is going to give a lot of pleasure over the coming years.