Tasting notes
James Suckling · James Suckling · 98-99
This is always an impressive white, with a lengthy, layered and compact palate. Lots of dried lemon, clove, fennel, green-apple and cedar. Flint and toast, too. Medium to full body. Very long. 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% semillon.
Shuai Zekun · James Suckling · 98
A serious nose with great depth and complexity here. Fine oak spices, chalk, meringue, lanolin and a twist of praline/pistachio to the intense lemons, honeyed gooseberries and mineral. Extremely harmonious with a deliciously saline touch to the center palate. Medium- to full-bodied, with a persistent but elegant and subtle finish that lasts almost a minute. 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% semillon. Already a joy to taste and drink, but will hold well over the next 15 years at least. Drink or hold.
Antonio Galloni · Vinous · 96
The 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a dense, powerful dry white. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2021 is going to need quite a bit of time to be at its best. Today, the wine's textural intensity and some oak are front and center. The 2021 is a Blanc of substance and real character. I can't wait to see how it ages.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW · Wine Advocate · 96
A blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon, the 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc sails from the glass, after a swirl of two, with a gorgeous perfume of spiced apples, grapefruit oil, and orange blossoms, leading to wafts of sea spray and paraffin wax. The medium-bodied palate has a gorgeous satiny texture juxtaposing the racy backbone and supporting the apple and citrus layers, finishing long and perfumed.
Jane Anson · Decanter · 95
You can relax with Domaine de Chevalier in difficult vintages, and it is one of the few successes across both colours in 2021. The aromatics are a little closed, but the flavour and texture on the palate is immediately gripping. Slate, wet stones, controlled delivery of citrus, cold ash, gunsmoke, white peach, apple. Stretches out through the palate and is one of the wines of the vintage. Owner Olivier Bernard.
Georgie Hindle · Decanter · 95
Clean and clear, a nice weight to the palate here, slightly oily and full with honeyed lemon tones, some bitter grapefruit and crisp green apple. Lots of complexity and nuance, well built, a serious wine with an acidic backbone, long length and lifted finish accented by a stone, flinty minerality. Lovely potential and great drinkability on offer.
Neal Martin · Vinous · 95
The 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc was one of the best wines that I tasted, white or red, during en primeur. Now in bottle, it has a captivating bouquet of mineral-rich citrus fruit that represents one of the most complex I have encountered in any vintage. The palate is well-balanced with a beautiful line of acidity and a slightly resinous texture, very complex and intense on the finish that lingers in the mouth. What a fabulous dry white Bordeaux this will become.
Yohan Castaing · Wine Advocate · 94+
The 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a blend of 70% Sauvignon and 30% Sémillon that matured for 18 months in barrels, of which 35% were new. Delivering a deep, complex bouquet that features aromas of spices, white pepper, elderflower, citrus oil and wet stones, it's full-bodied, round and generous, with a satiny attack that segues into a fleshy, vibrant palate, concluding with a pure and precise finish.
Jeb Dunnuck · Jeb Dunnuck · 94
Mostly Sauvignon Blanc (there's 30% Semillon), the 2021 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc offers beautiful tart citrus, honeyed minerality, and sappy, floral notes in a fresh, focused, racy style that still brings beautiful depth and richness. It's more tight and reserved than the L'Esprit and needs 2-4 years in the cellar. It's another classy, vibrant, age-worthy beauty from this brilliant estate.
