Domaine de Chevalier

Deeds trace the first farm on the site of Domaine de Chevalier to the middle of the 17th century, when it belonged to the Lalanne family, whose patriarch Jehan de Lalanne was called "Chivaley," a name also given to his estate. The Lalanne family held the land for no less than two centuries before selling it in 1736 to Jean Destang, a merchant from Léognan. Fortunes then varied: a brief improvement under Bordeaux merchant Jean-Baptiste Dejeanne between 1757 and 1766 was followed by decline, and by 1813 the vineyards had completely disappeared, giving way to woods and moorland before reappearing modestly a few years later.

• Deeds record the first traces of a farm on the site in the middle of the 17th century, under the Lalanne family, whose patriarch Jehan de Lalanne was called "Chivaley"
• The Lalanne family held the land for no less than two centuries before it was sold in 1736 to Jean Destang, a Léognan merchant
• Bordeaux merchant Jean-Baptiste Dejeanne brought a brief improvement between 1757 and 1766 before the vineyard again fell into disuse
• By 1813 the vineyards had completely disappeared, replaced by woods and moorland, and reappeared modestly a few years later

Arnaud and Jean Ricard acquired the estate in 1865, and the current owner calls Jean Ricard "the true creator of the estate." Jean Ricard's son-in-law, Gabriel Beaumartin, spent forty years at Chevalier and established the reputation of its wines; a well-known timber merchant, he traveled abroad and spread the estate's image worldwide. Claude Ricard arrived in 1948, chose to live on the estate, and had managed it for thirty-five years when the Bernard family arrived in 1983. Under his guidance Domaine de Chevalier joined the Grands Crus Classés de Graves in the 1953 classification, and under him the estate acquired its truly international dimension.

• Arnaud and Jean Ricard acquired the estate in 1865; the current owner calls Jean Ricard 'the true creator of the estate'
• Gabriel Beaumartin, Jean Ricard's son-in-law, spent forty years at Chevalier and, traveling abroad as a timber merchant, spread the estate's reputation worldwide
• Claude Ricard arrived in 1948, lived on the estate, and had managed it for thirty-five years by 1983
• Domaine de Chevalier joined the Grands Crus Classés de Graves at the time of the 1953 classification under Claude Ricard's guidance

In 1983 the Bernard family, until then in the spirits trade and also in Bordeaux grands crus, bought Domaine de Chevalier. The estate's buildings were completely renovated in two stages, in 1984 and 1991, followed by a bottle cellar in 2012, a concrete vat room in 2013 and a wooden vat room in 2016. Anne and Olivier Bernard are the co-owners. The management team includes Rémi Edange as deputy director, Adrien Bernard as commercial director, Vincent Bernard as technical director, Hugo Bernard as production manager and Justine Bouchut in charge of wine tourism. The Bernard family also runs several other Pessac-Léognan and Sauternes-region properties: Domaine de la Solitude, leased from the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1993; Château Lespault-Martillac, entrusted to the family by the Bolleau family in 2009; a stake in Château Guiraud, a Premier Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes, acquired in 2006; Clos des Lunes, a dry white wine launched in 2011 in the Sauternes region; Château Suau, a 2nd Grand Cru Classé of Barsac, whose management passed to the family in 2015; Château Soubian in Léognan, which the Célérier family asked the Bernards to replant starting in 2019; and Château Poumey in Gradignan, where the family took on winemaking under a 25-year agreement beginning in 2020.

• In 1983 the Bernard family, until then in the spirits and Bordeaux grands crus trade, bought Domaine de Chevalier
• Building renovations took place in two stages (1984 and 1991), followed by a bottle cellar (2012), a concrete vat room (2013) and a wooden vat room (2016)
• Anne and Olivier Bernard are co-owners, with Rémi Edange as deputy director, Adrien Bernard as commercial director, Vincent Bernard as technical director and Hugo Bernard as production manager
• The Bernard family also manages Domaine de la Solitude (leased 1993), Château Lespault-Martillac (2009), a stake in Château Guiraud (2006), Clos des Lunes (launched 2011), Château Suau (2015), Château Soubian (from 2019) and Château Poumey (25-year agreement from 2020)

The vineyard is a single block of 60 hectares of red vines and 7 hectares of white vines, with no immediate neighbors, enclosed by a large forest that gives it its own microclimate and biodiversity. The soils are poor and complex. Vine density is kept at 10,000 vines per hectare, well above the appellation average of 6,500; the competition between vines yields small quantities of grapes with skins rich in color, aroma and tannin. The forest accentuates thermal contrasts: it creates a greenhouse effect in hot periods that favors ripening, but raises the risk of frost in cold periods, so anti-frost towers have been gradually installed since 1982. Since 2021, all vineyards managed by Domaine de Chevalier have completed conversion to organic and biodynamic farming, on a path set out as early as 2010.

• The vineyard is a single block of 60 hectares of red vines and 7 hectares of white vines, with no immediate neighbors and enclosed by forest
• Vine density is 10,000 vines per hectare, versus an appellation average of 6,500
• Anti-frost towers have been gradually installed since 1982 to offset the frost risk the surrounding forest increases
• Since 2021, all vineyards managed by the estate have completed conversion to organic and biodynamic farming

The red blend is approximately 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc; the white is 70% Sauvignon and 30% Sémillon. White grapes are usually picked in the first half of September, about two weeks before the reds, in successive selective passes through the vineyard. The red harvest begins in mid-September with Merlot, continues with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and finishes with Cabernet Sauvignon in the first half of October. Blending for both colors takes place in the January after the harvest, with consultant oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt working alongside the estate's management team. The red first wine spends 14 to 24 months in barrel with 40 to 60% new oak; the second wine, L'Esprit de Chevalier, born in 1989, ages about 12 months in two-year barrels, and a third wine spends about 10 months in three- to four-year barrels. The estate also makes a small quantity of rosé, Le Rosé de Chevalier, mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon by saignée and by direct pressing, fermented separately.

• Red blend: approximately 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc; white blend: 70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon
• White harvest begins in the first half of September, about two weeks ahead of the reds; red harvest runs from mid-September (Merlot) to the first half of October (Cabernet Sauvignon)
• Blending takes place in January after the harvest, with consultant oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt working alongside the management team
• The red first wine ages 14-24 months in barrel (40-60% new oak); L'Esprit de Chevalier (born 1989) ages about 12 months; a third wine ages about 10 months
• The estate also makes a small amount of rosé, Le Rosé de Chevalier, mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon by saignée and direct pressing

The estate's tasting note for the 2023 red finds "a complex and spicy nose of great finesse" and "immediate and silky fullness," in a style that can be "appreciated in its youth (7-10 years), but aging will make it shine (12-20 years)." The 2023 white opens with "intense fruity brilliance, elegant and very complex," with fresh citrus, spring white flowers and concentrated white fruit. Drinking windows for earlier vintages run 2026 to 2046 for the 2016 red and 2021 to 2036 for the 2016 white. The Syndicat des Vins de Pessac-Léognan calls the Domaine de Chevalier red one of the leading Bordeaux classified growths and the white one of the world's great dry white wines.

• The estate's note on the 2023 red: 'a complex and spicy nose of great finesse' and 'immediate and silky fullness,' approachable at 7-10 years, built to age 12-20 years
• The 2023 white: 'intense fruity brilliance, elegant and very complex,' with citrus, spring white flowers and concentrated white fruit
• Drinking windows include 2026/2046 for the 2016 red and 2021-2036 for the 2016 white
• The Syndicat des Vins de Pessac-Léognan ranks the Domaine de Chevalier red among the leading Bordeaux classified growths and the white among the world's great dry whites

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.domainedechevalier.com/en/domaine, https://www.domainedechevalier.com/en/the-terroir, https://www.domainedechevalier.com/en/harvest, https://www.domainedechevalier.com/en/the-first-wine, https://www.domainedechevalier.com/en/lesprit-de-chevalier, https://www.domainedechevalier.com/en/other-family-properties, https://www.domainedechevalier.com/en/contact. Secondary sources: Syndicat des Vins de Pessac-Léognan (nos-chateaux profile), Decanter (wine review page, tasting note paywalled), Wine Spectator (wine detail page, rating paywalled). Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Spot something off? Submit a correction to the estate directly via its contact page.