On Mar 5, 6:53*am, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> I opened a bottle of 2001 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc last night with a
> dinner of seared scallops and shrimp with linguine. *Initially very
> tight, almost closed down, with a faint nose of lemon zest. *The wine
> opened up after 30 minutes in the glass so I decanted the rest of the
> bottle. *After decanting the wine showed pronounced minerality on the
> nose and a bit of salinity. *The palate was quite bright with
> grapefruit, fresh lemon and a bit of orange. *The finish was long and
> clean with significant stone and mineral notes and a touch of
> saltiness. *"A-/A"

I am not surprised that this wine was still very youthful. This is
often the case for the big three of dry white wines from the
traditional Graves area -- Laville-Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion blanc, and
Domaine de Chevalier blanc. I still have a few bottles of these wines
from the 70s and 80s, and most are holding well. My personal favorite
over the years has been Laville-Haut-Brion. Unfortunately these top
wines are now very expensive and can be difficult to find in the best
years, since production is so low. Laville-Haut-Brion 1989 is the best
I have and is slightly better than their 1982 Creme de Tete.