The Cellar
The Red
In practice, respect for a great terroir requires a moderate approach to extraction, which must be carried out in accordance with the vintage and not on the basis of an excessive search for power. At Chevalier, over-extraction is rigorously prohibited.
The fermentation phase is preceded by a natural maceration of a few days, intended to promote fruit expression. The fermentation itself takes place slowly, at a carefully controlled temperature, which can naturally rise to 30/32°C. It is marked out by regular pumping over, which may be accompanied by punching down of the cap, an ancestral technique that has never been abandoned at Chevalier.
The red wine is aged entirely in barrel. For the first wine, the length of time in barrel ranges from 14 to 24 months and the proportion of new oak varies from 40 to 60% depending on the power of the vintage. Racking is done traditionally, from barrel to barrel. Bottling takes place in June. The ageing period is reduced to around 12 months for the second wine, l’Esprit de Chevalier, using two-year barrels.
Olivier Bernard has this to say about his red wines: “Domaine de Chevalier rouge has good structure and a great deal of finesse, complexity, and ageing potential – which does not exclude a smooth, fruity quality that makes it enjoyable in its youth. Always balanced, never aggressive, power is by no means the priority...”
