Domaine de Chevalier 2012

JAMES SUCKLING: "Plenty of sliced apple and lemon character to this fresh wine. Full body, layered fruit and a tangy, almond and fruit aftertaste. Intense finish of stones, chalk and salt. Oyster shell, too. Needs time to come together. Tingling finish. Better in 2018."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This structured wine with big, bold red fruits offers ripe acidity, a dense texture and considerable concentration. It also has the hallmark freshness of the vintage that balances the strong aging potential. Drink from 2022."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Medium bodied, with a complex nose of chocolate mint, black cherry, earth and smoke. The finesse styled wine is sweet, ripe, elegant and fresh."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Very floral and elegant with raspberry and blackcurrant fruit mixed with toasty oak/vanillin, followed by a medium to full-bodied, stylish, polished wine that is the quintessentially refined style of Pessac-Léognan. Nevertheless, the complexity and nuance has yet to fully emerge. This medium to full-bodied Domaine de Chevalier is poised for a bright future. It is tight and backward now, as well as restrained aromatically, but everything is there for the future. Forget it for 5-7 years and drink it over the following 30 years."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezenter Wasserrand, einladender reifer Fruchtschmelz, dunkle Kirschen, feiner Zwetschkentouch, kandierte Orangenzesten, einladendes Bukett. Saftig, rotbeerig und frisch, elegante Textur, sehr harmonisch, feine Tannine, Kirschen im Abgang, dezenter Schokonachhall, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This sports lovely, enticing plum sauce, melted black licorice, blackberry pâte de fruit and cherry compote notes, along with fruitcake and graphite accents that fill in the background. The solid structure is fully absorbed into the fruit, and this should cellar well. A solid effort for the vintage. Best from 2017 through 2025. 8,333 cases made."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Ein Traumbouquet, fein laktisch und somit fast buttrige Konturen, Kirschen, Himbeeren, von der Süsse her einen ganz feinen Touch Grenadine zeigend, Kokosnuancen. Im Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, delikate Tannine, alles ist im Finessenbereich. Vielleicht letztendlich doch mehr eine ganz faire Jahrgangsvariante als um jeden Preis aufzufallen. So richtig im Stil der Domaine. Kann noch zulegen."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Really fresh and dry. Racy and appetising – almost like a healthy mouthwash! Very successful. Long and neat. A much fresher bottle than the Farr one."