Domaine de Chevalier 2011

The 2011 vintage in Pessac-Léognan

Vintage benchmark: 87/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: A scorching spring followed by a wet August turned the seasons upside down: classic wines, shorter but true to type.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Pessac-Léognan. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

Deep, intense and brilliant colour. Intense, clean and expressive nose revealing well-ripened red and black fruits together with more complex notes that reflect the great origin: finely peppery spices, fresh leather, minty freshness and a slight smokiness (gravel soils). On the palate, a delicate and silky attack is followed by a rich structure of fine, thoroughbred tannins, radiating energy and well coated by the flesh of the wine. Very fine concentration, enhanced by a freshness that reflects ripeness, acid balance and great respect for the fruit. Long fruity finish. An authentic wine of great class.

Blend of the 2011 vintage

Figures from the 2011 sheet

• 13 % vol.Alcohol
• 30 hl/haYield
• 25 yrsVine age
• 100,000 bottlesProduction

Winemaking

Vatting by gravity, without pumping. Alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Manual punching down. Maceration at 30-32°C for 2 to 3 weeks. Malolactic fermentation in barrel and ageing for 16 to 20 months.

Ageing

Aged in barrels (grand vin), one third new oak, for 16 to 18 months

Terroir

The overall structure of the Chevalier soils takes the form of a layer of black gravelly sand with an average thickness of 60 to 90 cm. Variations in the thickness and depth of the gravel vein create a mosaic of soils that calls for very fine plot-by-plot management, even though the whole shows an evident homogeneity. Overall, these soils are acidic, poor and very free-draining. The very rich subsoil is made up of a clay-gravel base mixed with alios (iron pan), into which the vine roots deeply, thus overcoming the water variations caused by the climate. Vine growth and grape ripening therefore proceed in a remarkably regular manner.