A gem that readers should snatch up is unquestionably the 2017 Domaine De Chevalier, which is based on 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in just 35% new French oak. This deeply colored effort offers classic blackberry and blackcurrant fruits as well as medium to full body, complex notes of tobacco, gravelly earth, and chocolate, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This is a classy, flawlessly balanced 2017 that offers up pleasure even today, yet it will keep for 30+ years. Having just had the good fortune to drink a bottle of the 1920, now at 100 years after the vintage, the longevity of this cuvée should not be underestimated.\n Producer Information\n Domaine de Chevalier is a highly-regarded wine estate in the Pessac-Léognan appellation of the Graves region just south of Bordeaux city. It was classified a Grand Cru Classé de Graves in 1959 for both its red (a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend) and white (a classic white Bordeaux Blend) wines. The estate has around 60 hectares (148 acres) under vine on gravel- and clay-rich soils, with most of that dedicated to the red grape varieties. While Cabernet Sauvignon makes up the bulk of red plantings (63 percent), there is also Merlot (30 percent) as well as two percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Petit Verdot. White plantings are almost three quarters (70 percent) Sauvignon Blanc and 30 percent Semillon. Grapes are harvested by hand and vinified in lots to ensure the best possible wine – Domaine de Chevalier has a reputation for making good wines even in average vintages. Barrel-aging is for up to 18 months with 35 percent new french oak. Domaine de Chevalier is notable for having kept its 'domaine' title, which is more at home in Burgundy than it is in Bordeaux. Chevalier comes from the Gascon word for knight, an homage to a trail on the property believed to have been used by knights in the 12th to 14th centuries. In 1983, the domaine came under its current ownership when it was bought by the Bernard family, who renovated the winery and expanded the vineyard. Production of the top wines totals about 140,000 bottles annually. There is also a second wine, Esprit de Chevalier, which is made from younger vines. The winemaking team at Domaine de Chevalier have, since 1993, also overseen the vineyard and wines of Domaine de la Solitude, a wine estate owned by a holy order in Martillac, to the southeast of Domaine de Chevalier.
