Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2020

An excellent white with precision, flesh and confidence, sure to age well. A ton of white pear and some soft pepper spice keeps up the pace and lift from beginning to end, and the intensity continues to build after the wine has left the palate - a sure sign of something special happening. A yield of 43hl/ha. Tasted twice. Unusual for me to score the red and white Chevalier at the same level, but both are extremely successful in this vintage.Drinking Window 2022 - 2032

Full embossed bottle 1,330 g. Undated cask sample. 70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon. In conversion to organic viticulture. Fermented and aged for 18 months in barrel.Subtle, salivatory, mineral nose. Quite rich and dense on the palate – lots more depth here than in most dry white Pessac-Léognans. Seems weightier and richer than most previous vintages. Builds towards the finish. On past form, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt regarding ageability. 13.5%Drink 2023 – 2030

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, the only white that I tasted from a dispatched barrel sample, has a discrete but complex bouquet with honeysuckle, chamomile, citrus fruit and light waxy aromas. It's quite understated but it responds to aeration. The palate is fresh on the entry, lightly spiced with modest weight. It does not possess the nervosité of the previous vintage, but it has concentration and presence. This is more a textural dry white Pessac than one that simply doles out tons of fruit or relies on tension. Very fine.

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc was cropped at 43hl/ha and will spend 18 months in barrel. It has a very composed bouquet of green apple, kiwi fruit, crushed rock and dried white flower aromas. There is nothing extravagant on the nose, but it is beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine bead of acidity, displaying light honeyed notes on the entry mixed with chamomile and almond and hints of marzipan. Very harmonious from start to finish, this is a refined and classy Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. 2025 - 2050

A dense, creamy DC white with lots of rich cooked-apple, mineral, cream and praline character. It’s full and very layered with chewy intensity and a long, bitter-lemon and almost honey finish. Pretty phenolic tension, too.

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc bursts with notions of ripe yellow apples, juicy pears and lime blossoms, plus hints of blanched almonds, yuzu zest and wet pebbles. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers impactful apple and citrus flavors with a racy backbone and seductive oiliness to the texture, finishing long and minerally. Drink 2025-2038.