Three great value wines from Bordeaux’s Domaine de Chevalier
The winery’s whites don’t come cheap but they are worth every cent
In Bordeaux, where most wine producers put “château” before their name, one winery stands out by using “domaine”, a word more commonly associated with Burgundy. Domaine de Chevalier is in Pessac-Léognan, an area carved out of the commune Graves, in 1987.
Formerly Domaine de Chivaley (meaning “knight”, in old Gascon), the name was updated to incorporate the more modern French word “Chevalier”.
The current owner is Olivier Bernard, whose family come from the spirits business and were also négociants of premium Bordeaux wine. In 1983, they acquired Domaine de Chevalier, and Bernard, then 23 years old, was delegated to oversee operations.
Domaine de Chevalier is more famed for its white wines, although it produces only about 18,000 bottles of those compared with 100,000 bottles of red. The white wines are the most expensive, with Bernard believing they are in the same league as the top white Bordeaux, Château Haut-Brion Blanc and Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc. Despite the price, the whites still offer good value and have the potential to age and grow in complexity over time.