Domaine de Chevalier 2009

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is very tight and rich with dried apple, mango and papaya, yet it's bright and floral. Full body, dense fruit and a long, powerful finish. Really open already but complex and beautiful with a richness and intensity that is very, very impressive."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Drinking nicely, with some maturity yet still youthful, the 2009 Domaine De Chevalier offers gorgeous red and black currant fruits, smoked tobacco, damp earth, and cedary spice. Full-bodied, opulent, and undeniably sexy on the palate, with a great mid-palate and sweet tannins. Displaying good balance as well as ripe tannins, its dense, opulent profile is going to continue to evolve for another 30 years or more. Don't be afraid to open bottles, though – it's sensational today. The blend of the 2009 is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "In late 2011, I had the last bottle in my cellar of the 1970 Domaine de Chevalier. Much to my surprise, it was still holding on to life and remained gorgeously complex in that ethereal Graves style. The 2009, one of the finest Domaine de Chevaliers yet produced, reveals a striking bouquet of burning embers, sweet cherry, black and red currant fruit, spice box, cedar and lead pencil shavings. The tannins are sweet in this fleshy, full-bodied offering. It is built on the notion of extraordinary harmony, elegance and complexity. While not the most concentrated or flamboyant 2009, its intense aromas are already reasonably evolved and its lusciousness and balance are terrific. Made from an interesting blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, its yields of 45 hectoliters per hectare were slightly higher than many of its neighbors achieved. Drink it over the next 25 years."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Just now beginning to wake up, the wine is all about Cuban Cigars, truffle, wet earth, tobacco leaf and red plums. Medium/full-bodied, with soft, elegant, silky tannins and a ripe, sweet, luscious, fruit-filled finish with just a bit of oak left to integrate. Give this about 5 more years in the cellar and you are in for a sublime vintage of Domaine de Chevalier."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Dominating aromas of smoky new wood follow through to the toasty flavor that covers the fruit at this stage. But, like all 2009s, this is a rich wine that will balance out and show all of its opulence. That said, it will likely always be a firm, ageworthy wine, with the dark tannins always in evidence."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Purpur-Granat. Verführerisches Maulbeerenbouquet, ein Hauch Kokos, Vanille und reife Kirschen, im Ansatz noch zarte Hefenoten. Seidener Gaumen, delikate Balance, eine schöne, von den feinen Gerbstoffen ausstrahlende Süsse, im Finale wieder Kirschen und etwas Brombeeren. Wie immer auf hohem Niveau bei viel Finessen."

WINE SPECTATOR: " Very rich, but sleek and pure, with beautiful mouthfeel and layers of enticing fig, steeped blackberry and warm currant confiture nicely stitched with black tea and mesquite. The long finish has a tarry underlay, but stays polished. Approachable for its mouthfeel, but has the balance to age nicely. Drink now through 2025. 12,000 cases made."

FALSTAFF: "Frische Brombeeren, Edelholz, feine ätherische Nuancen, zart nach Nougat und Minze. Elegant, frisch, wirkt fast zart, rotbeerige Nuancen, ausgewogen, ein finessenreicher Wein, extraktsüßer Nachhall, bleibt aber insgesamt recht schlank."