Adrien Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier – The Interview
Adrien Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier says that the 2015 vintage looks to be one of the great ones.
On this visit to En Primeur, my first interview was with Adrien Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier in Graves
Adrien’s father Olivier bought Domaine de Chevalier in 1983, so Adrien and his brother grew up on he estate.
Adrien knows winemaking.
Adrien Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier : Educating the Buying Market
Adrien also has an MBA.
This means he is focused on the business end of the family estate, as well as the growing of the grapes.
Adrian spent many years working in Asia developing the distribution market for his family’s Bordeaux property.
Now, he is living in Bordeaux.
During our conversation, we spent a great deal of time discussing ways of developing a new market, such as China.
Adrien is a firm believer in education.
This means that when he was in Asia, he educated both distributors and consumers on how to taste and appreciate wine.
When he was working in China, not many distributors or consumers spoke French.
Or English.
So Adrian found himself forced to learn and speak the language.
Where Wine Is Consumed in China
What was surprising is that in China, Bordeaux isn’t just consumed on the on-trade (in high end restaurants.)
High end Bordeaux is very popular at Carrefour supermarkets, even more than high end wine shops.
The reason is because local consumers know and respect the brand.
Adrien and Social Media
Adrien and I both spoke at length about the importance of social media.
If you google Domaine de Chevalier on the Internet, you will find dozens of videos of the Olivier family.
In these videos, they discuss the estate and their wines.
One of the key values of social media, Adrien explained, is when people re-post the videos.
One popular video received over 15,000 views in just a two week period.
The Sunday Before En Primeur
The Sunday before En Primeur week can be considered its unofficial kickoff.
It is held at Chateau Guiraud.
The Story of Chateau Guiraud
The reason is that during a dinner in early 2006, industrialist Robert Peugeot and three wine makers: Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier, Stephan Von Neipperg of Château Canon La Gaffelière and Xavier Planty, the estate’s director, decided to buy Guiraud.
The goal was to unite their shared passion for wine, gastronomy, nature and hunting in Guiraud, then in need of capital.
The Kickoff at Chateau Guiraud
The kickoff showcases the latest vintage of each producer.
Guests will discover a fine offering of older vintages as well.
That night I also spoke to the charming David Ornon of Chateau Guiraud.
We discussed the export market at length.
I wrote about Sauternes in a feature article for World of Fine Wine.
In that piece, I stated Sauternes should be served at the beginning of a meal, as an aperitif, the way many people now enjoy Champagne.
I had the opportunity to taste the Clos des Lunes brand of white wine from Domaine de Chevalier.
In the tasting, I found it intriguing that it is made in three styles: one matured in stainless steel, one matured with a percentage of new oak, and one matured in 100% new oak.
The reason for this, Adrien explained, is that the estate has a variety of terroir, and some are better suited to oak than others.
Adrien is just as charming as his father Olivier, and has a genuine passion for wine and bringing the message of Domaine de Chevalier around the world.
Here is a video from the Domaine you may like …
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