Domaine de la Chevalerie Rides Again, 2014 - 2020!
10/8/24 -
We're happy to report that a new shipment has just arrived in NY from from Domaine de la Chevalerie in Bourgueil, including beautiful wines from the great 2014 and 2015 vintages, to drink now and for further cellaring!
This is one of our favorite estates in France, producing beautiful Cabernet Francs on the superb clay/limestone terroirs of Benais. Laurie and Emmanuel Caslot are the thirteenth generation, dating back to 1640, to take care of this magnificent domain of 33 hectares. Their joy in sharing their wines with us is inspiring, as is their commitment to protect their heritage through organic and Biodynamic farming since 2008.
(Middle and upper slope parcels of Domaine de la Chevalerie in Bourgueil. Galichets is in mid-slope. Peu Muleau and Grand Mont are highest in altitude.)
One of my favorite tastings of the last few years was at Chevalerie, which included the 2014 and 2015 vintages of each cuvée from this outstanding Biodynamic estate. The 2015s were lovely wines with ripe, complex fruit in a full and supple style - they will be delicious when young and for medium-term cellaring. The 2014s were vibrant, perfectly balanced wines possessing beautiful, deep black fruits, firm, cool acidity and beautiful mineral and earthy flavors, perfectly expressing the terroir of each parcel. In today's offer, the 2014 and 2015 "Les Galichets" and the 2015 "Peu Muleau" are at their best now, the 2014 and 2015 "Breteche" are gorgeous for current drinking and can be cellared another 10 years, while the few bottles available of the 2014 "Grand Mont" should be kept for 10 more years...
The 2018 "Peu Muleau" is an outstanding new arrival which comes from the top of the slope on wind-blown sands with iron, clay and altered limestone tuffeau. Normally the most austere and mineral of the Chevalerie wines, the 2018 offers a more sapid and supple style while retaining the firm acidity and earthy flavors always present in this wine.
The 2019 "Noms D'Oiseaux" is a big favorite of mine, from two parcels symbolic of the domain, each situated at the two extremities of the slope overlooking the Loire. (“Noms d’Oiseaux” - "the names of the birds" - "to warn of the urgent need to respect our biodiversity, not just false pretences but through real actions" say the Caslots.) The 2019 is a subtle and intriguing Bourgueil showing a bright deep black/red/garnet color with fresh aromas of black raspberry, ripe cherry, violet, tobacco, citrus and earth. On the palate there is firm acidity and and a sapid, chalky texture with ripe black raspberry and strawberry fruit with earth, licorice, stone and spice notes.... Yum!
2020 "Bulle de Fort" is a direct press rosé Petillant Naturel, 100% Cabernet Franc and just incredibly delicious!! Warning, this is not a wimpy pale pink rosé - it shows a deep cherry-red color and a ripe full-bodied palate with beautiful deep red currant/raspberry fruit, a real wine of terroir with bubbles! Really quite sensational...
The wines of Chevalerie possess a somewhat indescribable quality - a unique balance between fruit and terroir flavors, enhanced by firm, bright acidity, giving the wines a unique feeling of vibrancy and life that seems to echo the vitality of the family itself. Here are some keys to the quality of the wines:
Massale selection in order to promote biodiversity at the intra-varietal leve
-Pruning Guyot Poussard respecting the flow of the sap
-Debudding for controlled yields and a fine aeration of the bunches
-Phytotherapy (herbal plant remedies) in order to minimize sulfur and copper treatments
-Biodynamic preparations to encourage plant growth in harmony with the environment
-Natural and sown grass (cereals and vegetable) to promote the structure of the soil, with permanent cover in order to preserve the intrinsic biodiversity and the life on the surface
-Addition of biodynamic compost to bring gradual and balanced organic matter to the soil
-Agroforestry with the planting of more than 350 trees and fruit trees of different varieties in the vineyards and creating more than 3 kilometres of hedgerows.
-Respectful vinifications - Natural yeasts, minimal SO2, temperature control, gentle maceration and fermentations, maturing of the wine in demi-muids and large containers (400-500 litres) and terracotta and ceramic jars.
Our friend Pascaline Lepeltier is a big fan of Chevalerie: "the Caslots produce some of the most delicious and sincere Cabernet Franc in the world, and at a fantastic price! Every time I open a bottle of Domaine de la Chevalerie, I can’t help but smile. So treat yourself, not by the bottle but by the case, as these wines are as highly addictive and delicious today as they will be with age!"
We will be co-hosting a dinner and tasting with Laurie Caslot of Domaine de la Chevalerie on November 19th at Chambers, 94 Chambers Street, with Beverage Director Pascaline Lepeltier and Head Sommelier Oliviero Luccetti - please email us at office@chambersstwines.com if you're interested! (Laurie's sister Stephanie, pictured above at right, passed away suddenly in 2021. Her joy in life and in wine will be missed forever by all who knew her)
