Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot
 
95 Points James Suckling
This is an extremely polished and refined young wine with gorgeous blackberry, blackcurrant, licorice, dark-chocolate and bark character. It’s full-bodied with ever so fine tannins and a long, long finish. Fantastic second wine of Domaine de Chevalier. Try after 2026.
 
93 Points Wine Enthusiast
The second wine of Domaine de Chevalier, this shows all the richness of the vintage, with weighty tannins and a generous future. Blackberry fruits and a core that promises plenty of potential as the dryness softens contribute to what will be a richly structured, complex wine. Drink from 2026.
 
91 Points Jeb Dunnuck
Checking in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot brought up mostly in used barrels, the 2018 Domaine De Chevalier L'Esprit De Chevalier has a rich, dense, medium to full-bodied style with slightly reserved darker currant and cherry fruits, notes of cedary herbs and earth, firm tannin's, and a good finish. While most second wines are up-front and geared for early drinking, this is going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age. It should keep for over a decade.
 
Winemaker Notes
Vats that go into red Esprit de Chevalier must nevertheless be complex, well-balanced, well-structured and, above all, elegant enough to be in keeping with Chevalier’s image. Esprit de Chevalier is a charming red wine with many of the same qualities as the grand vin and the added advantage that can be enjoyed earlier.