1998 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc

Domaine de Chevalier picked its red grapes late, bringing in the merlot during the last week of September and the cabernet sauvignon between October 5 and 10. The modest rain that fell on September 21 helped to increase the grape sugars, noted assistant manager Remi Edange, and the cabernet ultimately reached the 12%-12.3% range, high for this estate. The vinification was long and soft, said Edange. Edange mentioned that Domaine de Chevalier has eliminated some excessively vigorous cabernet vines that he says were largely responsible for the dryness found in a few recent vintages of the estate red wine.

The white grapes, harvested during the first 12 days of September, were high in sugar yet managed to retain firm acidity, the sauvignon blanc being especially powerful, said assistant manager Remi Edange. The red grapes, picked from September 21 to October 10, were also higher in sugar than those of the previous year, but slightly lower in polyphenols. Following a severe green harvest, the yield was just 40 hectoliters per hectare, said Edange, who noted that there was little juice in the small berries.

The '98 vintage featured small, thick-skinned grapes, noted assistant manager Remi Edange, who pointed out that the vine density here is a relatively high 10,000 plants per hectare. The yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare-and just 42 h/h for the estate's old vines--is quite low for this density, Edange pointed out. Domaine de Chevalier, which harvests on the early side ("we never look for surmaturite," says Edange), brought in all of its merlot and a portion of its cabernet before the September 27 rain. Vacuum evaporation has been used as needed since 1996, and the estate found it useful in '98 to concentrate the juice from its young vines. Whether due to early picking or to overclarification of the wines prior to bottling, the bottled reds from this domain have been disappointing in recent years. Even the '96, quite promising from barrel a year ago, shows a dryness in the mouth and on the finish.