2015 Domaine De Chevalier

[marcs]

My first 2015, and another 2015 that has been getting rave reviews. Let me say first that I have rarely drunk young Bordeaux from recent vintages, at least since 2009. But this was a quite unusual wine to me -- not sure if it is this wine itself or I'm just unused to drinking recent high-end Bordeaux young.

I found it to be quite sweet, unusually so, a level of sweetness that I associate with either New World or Right Bank wines. At the same time, very smooth and comfortable to drink. I mean, incredibly so, nothing stuck out besides the fruit sweetness. Not acidity, not tannins, not alcohol, not even really the texture. It was so balanced it felt "spherical", if that makes any sense. Even the fruit was in some perfect middle ground between red and black, like perfectly ripe red cherries or very soft sweet blackberries. It has a kind of very stealth, easy-going depth of fruit -- it didn't give an overt impression of richness and wasn't at all heavy, but at the same time you don't get a young wine this comfortable to drink unless it has some depth. The fact that it didn't lose a step over 24 hours open also indicates a lot of depth of fruit. Same for the acidity -- no way a wine is this sweet without being heavy unless it has good acidity, but you didn't feel that fresh sparkle or uplifting quality of acidity either.

At the same time, it was also kind of...boring? The first night open it didn't feel really Pessac or even paticularly left bank to me, no earth/mineral in evidence and certainly not any Pessac charcoal/smokiness. I'm also not particularly fond of overt sweetness in left bankers. The second night there was definitely more of a mineral backbone in evidence (perhaps submerged in the fruit after the pop and pour on the first night) and the flavors had gotten somewhat darker and more interesting, so I liked it more. (It held up incredibly well over 24 hours open, improved for my taste). I'm sure this will age very well. But still, there's nothing here that really makes me enthusiastic about having more of it.

One other note -- the alcohol didn't stick out at all, never felt alcoholic, but I got a very quick buzz off it that made me doubt the listed 13.5% alcohol. Maybe I was just a lightweight, not sure.

This reminds me of 2009 in the sense of up-front sweet fruit dominating everything else. Perhaps even more so than 2009. But I remember young 2009s (some of which I was enthusiastic about, some less so) being more distinctive. Not quite sure what to make of this wine. It's without question a high quality wine, but I've never been so confused about whether I actually liked a wine or was totally "meh" about it.

[JimHow]

The few times I have tried Chevalier from other vintages I have found it without personality. Manufactured. Boring.
It’s never on my must-purchase list.

[marcs]

The few times I have tried Chevalier from other vintages I have found it without personality. Manufactured. Boring.
It’s never on my must-purchase list.

Yes, this definitely lacked personality. But it got so many rave reviews, including from critics I respect, that I felt like I must be missing something.

[Blanquito]

Sounds like the 09 I tried 3 years ago:
“Young and primary, tasting of grapes, licorice and tar. Distant whiffs of coconut indicate subtle, high-end oak. The palate is dark and tangy, and seems well balanced despite the opulence of the vintage overall. The fruit is almost cool and the alcohol level is appropriate. Good fleshy midpalate and a nice finish, showing a lot of merlot. The texture and tannins (which are very soft and subtle for a young claret) have a spit polished feel, which gives this a semi-slick, modern vibe. Gets deeper, better with air. This is a good wine, still too young but approachable now. Very well-made and sleek, you can tell how competent the wine makers are, what it lacks is a sense of place or terroir. There is little Graves character right now and blind I'm not sure I would think Bordeaux either. Still, this strikes me as modern Bordeaux done right and I'd love it if you told me it was a Cali blend. Give this 10 years and hope that more character develops in the cellar. Very Good.”

[AKR]

I think if you're drinking them this young it will take quite a bit of decanting.

A 2010 rouge last year took *2 days* of aeration before blossoming.

It was excellent after that.

I almost never buy their wines, red nor white, all the same.

For a lot of these young wines, it's probably more useful to gather up a bunch of enthusiasts and try them together. I find it hard to get much out of these beyond grapey/tannic/oaky but listening to others contemporaneously can help 'see' what is in the glass.

[Nicklasss]

Again, I liked that wine a lot at UGC 2015 in Montréal last January, but I understand what you mean by intense fruit character. It was having also a nice freshness, and some Graves character, but I really don't know if Olivier Bernard did something special with his bottles to be so appealing. Maybe 24 hours slo-ox?

I thought it was one one the best Graves, with Pape Clément, that specific day, topping easily Smith Hauf Laffitte, Haut Bailly, La Louvière, Fieuzal...

Nic

[JimHow]

I don’t think I tried the 2009 but I think that note posted by Patrick sounds right on.
It’s like it’s too perfect. Too slick. They are just a little too cute with their technique.
It is Parkerized. Modern. No soul. No character. It’s just another pretty face.
Sometimes a rough edge here and there gives a wine a little character.
This has no personality. It is just “another well made wine.”
Interesting you cite Fieuzal, Nicola, because I put that estate in the same category.
Jesus, stick some green stems in there or something to give it a little character.
This doesn’t scream out Graves to me.

[Racer Chris]

I've had both the '09 and the '14 earlier this year. Both took considerable time (3+ hours) in the decanter to open up. I found the '14 to be a little better than the '09, more acidity, less ripe, and a bit more Graves smoky character. I have every expectation that the '15 will show better than the '14 in a few years, combining the best of both previous vintages.
As to the idea that this wine is Parkerized - I say phooey. Your St Emilions are more likely to fit that profile.

[JimHow]

I'm glad you like it, Chris. Sounds like a Racer Chris kind of wine.

[Racer Chris]

Yes, I'm pretty sure I'll like it. A well balanced wine like this takes time to divulge all it's secrets.
Here are the Cellartracker notes on this wine from a couple people I'm a fan of.

Motz wrote on 7/16/18: From a half, tasted over four days. Absolutely mesmeric! Open-knit and seductive, from the floral, fruit blossom, herbal, sweet spice, light red berry liqueurs driven bouquet through the luxurious, inflection-changing, unclockable finish. Margaux-like in presentation, Saint-Estèphe like textures and structure (Cos d'Estournel in particular), ethereal in all regards. Truly seamless, strikingly layered, perfectly balanced, powerfully yet charmingly structured (iron fist in a velvet glove) and likely to improve. Every bit as enthralling on the fourth day as the first, probably more so. Along with the Pontet-Canet, the finest 2015 vintage Bordeaux that I have tasted, with no close third. This may not be as long lived (two plus decades) as the Pontet-Canet (three plus decades), although shows prettier, and might remain so. 97-98.

Keith Levenberg wrote on 9/18/18: This is a gorgeous Pessac. Almost as classy as the Haut-Bailly, but very different in style. It opens with a big aromatic thwack of classic Pessac mesquite and tobacco, then the primary fruit takes over, the freshness of which is off the charts - this is what I'd imagine Bordeaux to taste like if someone gave it the semi-carbonic Lapierre Morgon treatment. Don't get me wrong, it's not glou-glou juicy, although it is very easy to drink. It's characterized by intensely fresh just-crushed berry fruit that practically transports you into standing knee-deep in the fermentation vat. I could close my eyes and easily imagine this as some kind of Burgundy on the basis of those berry fruit flavors, the refined tannins, and the general shape of it, which does have something very pinot noir-like about it albeit with ratcheted-up saturation of fruit. But the classic Domaine de Chevaliers have always had a feminine figure and this is very much in line with that, even if the super-clean, super-pure fruit expression gives it a modern flair. 96pts

The same two people scored the 2014 at 93 and 95 respectively. I put the bottle I drank at 93 points.
At a price of $78 for the 2015 I'll only buy a few bottles and I doubt I'll open my first one until at least 2023.

[greatbxfreak]

Just my two cents:

1. 2015 is a vintage of great fruit sweetness, depth and balance, but I have nebver thought of D.d.Chevalier being sweet and modern wine. It's typical Pessac-Leognan for me!

2. Has tasted a lot wines in red and white from it since my first visit in 1984.

Nowadays it's famous consultant Stephane Derenencourt who helps D.d.Chevalier.

[Comte Flaneur]

I find modern vintages of DDC a bit too modern and homogeneous...Maybe it is an optical/olfactory illusion with the change of label.

Nothing to compare with what this estate produced in the late 70s and early 80s.

[JimHow]

Yes, homogenous is kind of what I meant. Internationalized. As Marcus said, "kind of... boring?"

[marcs]

As my TN indicated, I'm with Jim on this one. I was reluctant to call it as decisively as he did because I was afraid I was being unfair to the wine, but he nailed it.

My experience is also similar to Blanquito's with the 2009 -- polished, sleek, and anonymous. I didn't even really get the tar components he did, which would have made it more distinctive. This is clearly a very high quality wine in the sense that it's very well balanced, nothing offensive, and has great depth. But I'm not really tempted to buy more. Although I am curious as to how it will age. Clearly it will go a long time but will it reveal more interesting qualities?

Keith Levenberg wrote on 9/18/18: This is a gorgeous Pessac. Almost as classy as the Haut-Bailly, but very different in style. It opens with a big aromatic thwack of classic Pessac mesquite and tobacco, then the primary fruit takes over, the freshness of which is off the charts - this is what I'd imagine Bordeaux to taste like if someone gave it the semi-carbonic Lapierre Morgon treatment. Don't get me wrong, it's not glou-glou juicy, although it is very easy to drink. It's characterized by intensely fresh just-crushed berry fruit that practically transports you into standing knee-deep in the fermentation vat. I could close my eyes and easily imagine this as some kind of Burgundy on the basis of those berry fruit flavors, the refined tannins, and the general shape of it, which does have something very pinot noir-like about it albeit with ratcheted-up saturation of fruit. But the classic Domaine de Chevaliers have always had a feminine figure and this is very much in line with that, even if the super-clean, super-pure fruit expression gives it a modern flair. 96pts

This is exactly the same gushing TN that led me to try it! I usually trust Keith to guide me to distinctive wines, but he has fallen head over heels for recent release Bordeaux, which is nice but perhaps in this case it was to a fault. I can recognize the things he was saying, this wine does indeed have a lot of primary fruit, is easy to drink, has an almost pinot-level smoothness, and has very refined tannin. But my overall assessment was different.

[greatbxfreak]

I find comments about D.d.Chevalier rather misplaced.

Olivier Bernard has entered in 1984 but really got into winemaking in 1988. Before that it was Claude Ricard. Stephane Derencourt entered in 2003 as a consultant.

Pinot Noir like sweetness???

I personally find D.D.Chevalier not modern and Haut Bailly lies far away concerning style from D.d.Chevalier, stony and smoky with great acidity. Pape Clement is modern wine.

As I stated before, I have followed D.d.Chevalier since 1984 and had tasted vintages back to 1940.

2009 vintage has a lot of sweetness but it is not negative by any means, it's just character of the vintage.

[Nicklasss]

Could there be some fakes 2015 Domaine de Chevalier on the market?

I'm asking the question as different experiences with that wine can make you think it is possible.

Now that all Crus Classés start >100$ a bottle, making fakes is more atractive?

Nic

[marcs]

no, I don't think this is about fake wines, this was from a very established source. My experience was extremely similar to Blanquito's for the 2009, another fruit-forward vintage like the 2015, and Jim also recognized immediately what I was talking about. I can't explain the difference in perceptions from greatbxfreak. I have only ever had one bottle of Domaine De Chevalier so there is always the possibility of bottle variation.

[jckba]

Let me start by saying that I quite liked the wine in both the 2014 and 2015 vintages and subsequently bought them both (I guess the joke is on me ). But more seriously, while I do think that the wine has modernized somewhat over the last 40 years due to better vineyard management and better wine making just as every other Bdx estate has, and has benefited; I just see it as more of a modern take on traditional estate that is no where as egregious as some of the more notable and sluttier offenders within the appellation.

By the looks at some of your guys comments though, it seems that your issues arise in the hotter and riper years so maybe it is the pursuit of that optimum ripeness that is not agreeing with you. I would say to try a 2014 and see if your opinions hold true.

[William P]

Let me start by saying that I quite liked the wine in both the 2014 and 2015 vintages and subsequently bought them both (I guess the joke is on me

I too am on record for liking the 2014. Sometimes people forget that wine tasting/buying is a very personal experience and many facts enter into a purchase besides which is the "best" vintage of the decade. As I recall, the industry has hyped a few wines and vintages that with age have not lived up to the praise.

[DavidG]

I have no DdC in the cellar and haven't tasted the 2015, so this is a general comment, not specific to this wine:

No Bordeaux is "interesting" on release in my book. Exciting maybe. Takes 10-20 years to develop the complexity that makes them interesting.

I'm terrible at making predictions about how young Bordeaux will turn out.
Plus I've got the palate of a yak.
I depend on the rest of you BWEs to divine how they'll turn out from these early looks.

[Musigny 151]

Not surprised at this. We did a DDC tasting not so long ago, which showed the splendid terroir of the chateau.

My problem is Dererencourt. The most affable of all the big consultants, but also the one who makes the most anonymous wines. I was dragged into a tasting of all his wines, and the DDC resembled the Virginia wine on the next table more than its Graves neighbors.

[DavidG]

We should do a blind tasting of modern vs traditional at the next convention.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

Not surprised at this. We did a DDC tasting not so long ago, which showed the splendid terroir of the chateau.

My problem is Dererencourt. The most affable of all the big consultants, but also the one who makes the most anonymous wines. I was dragged into a tasting of all his wines, and the DDC resembled the Virginia wine on the next table more than its Graves neighbors.

I trust your experience more than my own so I'm glad you've said this. My far less informed take on Derenencourt is that he can make a lesser wine a stand out and a standout wine seem generic. That's some trick.

[JimHow]

I was in the Medoc for the briefest of time this past week, Hound. It is a solemn, hallowed experience.
Despite my obsession/love for these wines, I have been there, now, in my 60 years, exactly three times.
That needs to change.
It truly is a spiritual experience.
There is no place else like it.

[marcs]

What got me wasn't just that it was modern but that it was boring. Malescot is to me a very modern-style wine since the early 2000s, but I had the 2009 Malescot young and found it to be an incredibly exciting and interesting wine. (Gonna post an updated TN on that one soon).