Domaine de Chevalier Pessac Leognan 2019 (750ml)

The 2019 Domaine de Chevalier is a magical wine in the making, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild plums, crushed blackcurrants and violets mingled with hints of pencil shavings, subtle spices and coniferous forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a vibrant core of fruit, beautifully refined tannins and lively acids, it's exquisitely elegant and harmonious, concluding with a long, perfumed finish. Stylistically, this wine exhibits a much closer affinity with the great Domaine de Chevalier of yesteryear than much of what was produced here in the early 2000s. It's a masterclass in what contemporary Bordeaux can deliver, and worth a special effort to seek out. Drink Date 2029 - 2060

Beautiful, ripe redcurrants, bay leaf, violets and raspberries on the nose. Full-bodied with firm and very tight tannins that are polished and layered. Crushed stones highlight the beautiful blue fruit. Poised and refined. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 6% petit verdot and 4% cabernet franc. Try after 2026.

I loved the 2019 Domaine De Chevalier, which is unquestionably up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot that saw just 35% new oak, it sports a dense purple hue as well as a killer, quintessential Graves bouquet of darker black fruits, scorched earth, truffle, cold fireplace, tobacco, and graphite. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has brilliant purity, ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. It's not a blockbuster but has this incredible sense of class, balance, and finesse while being rich and concentrated. It's a gorgeous wine, and wine lovers will adore being able to compare this side by side with the 2015, 2016, and 2018 over the coming 3-4 decades.

The Domaine de Chevalier 2019 has a deep garnet-purple color. It sashays out with gorgeous notions of stewed plums, warm cassis, and kirsch, followed by touches of potpourri, cedar, and fragrant earth. The medium-bodied palate delivers firm, fine-grained tannins and a racy backbone to frame the intense, bright, youthful fruit, finishing long and perfumed.

This is just gorgeous, you see exactly where it is going, with waves of unfussy but powerful black fruit aromatics, a beautiful wine that is full of density and complexity, pared back with restrained cassis and bilberry at this point. Hints of cocoa bean, tobacco, slate, truffle and smoked earth coming through, that will no doubt build over the next few years in bottle. Tasted twice, two months apart, both times hugely successful, easy to recommend. In organic conversion.