Domaine de Chevalier is a Grand Cru Classé de Graves estate in Pessac-Léognan, south of Bordeaux, and one of the Left Bank properties that reliably delivers a composed, age-worthy style. The 2014 red is a Cabernet Sauvignon–led blend (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot) at 13.5% alcohol, produced in a vintage that rewarded patience and precision.
The critical consensus is notably strong, with several excellent reviews clustering in the mid-90s. Vinous’ Neal Martin (94) calls it “an impressive wine for the vintage,” highlighting a “superb bouquet with blackberry, graphite, sea spray and pressed roses,” and a “harmonious and precise finish… recommended.” Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Voss gives 95 and labels it a Cellar Selection, describing a wine “powered both by its tannins and by its great fruit,” “dark and dense” yet “juicy and ripe,” concluding: “This is a serious wine with a great future. Drink from 2026.” Antonio Galloni (Vinous, 96) was even more emphatic, calling it “precise, brilliant and finely sculpted,” with “superb intensity” and “finessed but persistent tannins.”
Multiple reviewers underline the wine’s balance and structure. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (Neal Martin, 93) notes “fine tannin, superb acidity and a sense of symmetry that is uncommon in the 2014 vintage,” calling it “sophisticated” and suggesting it “could be one of top wines of the vintage,” though he recommends “3-4 years in bottle.” James Suckling (94) points to “beautifully balanced” elegance and “underplayed power.”
For a more measured take, Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth (92) emphasizes a “graphite edge” and “dark plum and blackberry purée,” with an “echo of anise,” and flags latent depth. Decanter (93) finds it “clearly young” and in need of time, but with persistence that “points to the quality.” Production is reported at about 10,000 cases.
