October 17, 2023 - Domaine visit. Denser than the 1985 next to it, tannins a touch try as so often with the 1995s. Very nice tertiary, earthy aromas.
April 11, 2020 - Meh. Not terrible, but not tasty. It has some pretty sharp-ish scents that remind me of vinegar but blows off a bit after 10 minutes. Smells like dirt, rocks and some berry but not much. Texture is great! Very velvety. Not as acidic as I was thinking it would be. Not very flavorful I will say. Some notes of black tea and cherry notes. Ambivalent at best with this one. Drink up.
March 7, 2020 - Ikke dekantert. Korken helt uberørt av lagring. Nese av tobakk, urter, pepper og tørkede bær. Fint utviklet og bra struktur i munnen, men litt spinkel konsentrasjon. Høy syre, medium tannin. Bra lengde. Vinen utvikler seg positivt med mere kompleksitet etter en time med åpen flaske, men konsentrasjonen ikke vesentlig endret. Vinner ikke på videre lagring.
April 18, 2019 - Not a bad bottle of wine - raspberry, garrigue, brick n’ose. Vital, peppery palate. But this has much more to say about Rhône than Bordeaux, which is odd and I just can’t get past the dissonance
August 11, 2018 - Looking quite aged. From en primeur purchase. A little VA, thin bodied, astringent and almost no fruit left. Lacks concentration and lack of selection at harvest is now cruelly exposed. Should be a lot better. Before they really focused on quality over quantity.
June 29, 2018 - Bordeaux 10th Anniversary WIMPS (La Trompette, London): Dusty, quite warm Graves nose. Something slightly dry and woody on the finish. Still some chew. A little lactic on the nose too. Dryand surly finish. Does seem to lift a little after an hour or so, so probably 95 rather than cork, but even so. Lacks charm, but signs of it getting there. **(*1/2)?
February 25, 2018 - Domaine de Chevalier lunch (Macleay Street Bistro, Potts Point): The appearance is clear and medium garnet in colour. Tears are present.
On the nose, the wine is clean with a medium intensity. There are well-defined aromas of ripe black fruit (blueberry, blackberry) and bottle age (tobacco, subtle leather). The wine is developing.
On the palate, the wine is dry with medium acidity, medium alcohol, and medium(+) body. The medium(+) tannins are ripe, soft, fine-grained, and grippy. The flavours have a medium intensity and show notes of black fruit (boysenberry, blueberry, blackberry), red fruit (raspberry), vegetable (green capsicum), and bottle age (leather). The finish has a long length.
This wine is of an outstanding quality. The flavours are concentrated and have an amazing balance with the alcohol and the acidity. The neutral oak treatment allows the fruit to be fully expressed. The ripe tannins are soft, have a great balance with the acidity and complement the flavour profile. The wine has complexity, with numerous primary characters and some bottle age tertiary notes. The finish is very enjoyable and has an amazing length. The flavours provide a very clear expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, with typical black fruit and herbaceous aromas.
The wine drinks well now, and is suitable for further ageing. The fruit is concentrated, and the tannic structure and acidity will help support the wine as tertiary notes further develop.
February 25, 2018 - Domaine de Chevalier Birthday lunch (McLeay Street Bistro, Potts Point): Earthy, leathery, tight with red and black currant, sweet spice. Juicy with firm tannins, better than from the Coravin earlier in the week - this has opened up - more fruit and more generosity.
February 21, 2018 - Coravin fun - Dom. de Chevalier checking (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Red currant, slight damp cellar, a bit dried out on the nose in fact. Touches of raisin and dusty oak backed by spice and meaty notes. Juicy, wet, fleshy but with quite muted flavours of fruit, leather, touches of spice and a little cigar box. Tannins are fine but present. Hmm.
March 21, 2016 - A very proper wine. Again, some lead, earth and meaty notes. Nice silky mouthfeel. Good!