France · Bordeaux

Domaine de Chevalier

Domaine de Chevalier in the Pessac-Leognan appellation of Graves produces both red and white wines classified as Grand Cru Classe de Graves—one of only a handful of properties achieving classification in both colors. The estate, owned by the Bernard family since 1983, farms approximately 35 hectares of red varieties and 4.5 hectares of white on sandy gravel soils in a forest clearing near Leognan. The white Domaine de Chevalier—a Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend fermented and aged in new oak—has long been considered one of Bordeaux's greatest dry whites. The red is a structured, slow-developing Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend in classic Pessac-Leognan proportions. At auction, 769 lots average $99 per bottle reaching $1,476, with 2009 the top vintage year. The white typically commands the highest per-bottle prices—often $150–300 in top vintages—while the red trades more modestly. Olivier Bernard has maintained consistently high standards, with the white regularly receiving 95–98 points for exceptional vintages.