Appellations

Valandraud 2019

St Emilion, Grand Cru

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Tasting Notes
The 2019 Valandraud has a generous and oaky bouquet with blueberry and blackberry commingling with vanillary scents. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, velvety smooth in texture lending it a modern sheen, overtly oaky although I feel there is sufficient fruit behind it. This is defined by the winemaking rather than the terroir at the moment but it will come through with time. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Score: 91 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 Date: 01 February 2023
The 2019 Valandraud remains deep in color and yes, the bouquet marches out of the glass with its upfront, precocious aromas of black cherry and boysenberry fruit, plus touches of pressed violet crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied, complex and harmonious, with fine, very supple tannins, a keen line of acidity and a slightly creamy-textured finish. As I mentioned in my previous note, it belongs within the top tier of Right Bank wines in this vintage. Score: 97 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 Date: 01 February 2022
The 2019 Valandraud is deep purple in color. It storms out of the glass with bold black cherries, boysenberry and faint scents of violet, extremely pure and seductive, the new oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is imbued with a sorbet-like freshness on the entry. The multi-layered dark cherry and plummy fruit is underpinned by a killer line of acidity. The finish feels pixelated to the n'th degree. This is a formidable wine from Jean-Luc Thunevin and ranks amongst the very best Right Bank wines of this vintage. Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 Date: 16 June 2020
The 2019 Valandraud is sensational. Stunning in its delineation and with sheer energy, the 2019 dazzles right out of the gate. Dark red/purplish berry fruit, mocha, new leather, licorice and lavender all come alive in the glass. In 2019, Valandraud is a towering, statuesque wine that captures all the best the vintage had to offer. I tasted the 2019 three times and it was magnificent on all three occasions. It is a tremendous effort from Jean-Luc Thunevin and his Murielle Andraud. What a wine! Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2029-2049 Date: 01 February 2022
A regal, statuesque wine, the 2019 Valandraud dazzles from the very first taste. Deep, beautifully textured and expansive, the 2019 races across the palate with stunning energy and pure vibrancy. Dark plum, espresso, chocolate, licorice and menthol are some of the many aromas and flavors that build in the glass. A wine of notable power and explosive richness, Valandraud is truly magical in 2019. Score: 95 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Date: 19 June 2020
This is gorgeous. There is high alcohol here and you do feel a slight trace of heat, but it is met by fruit that rises to fill in every step through the palate, along with cocoa beans, chocolate shavings, plum, boysenberry, loganberry, all textured, welcoming, juicy fruits of autumn, alongside cigar box, cold ash, shot through with smoke and bitter chocolate. So good. Score: 97 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2026-2040 Date: 26 January 2022
Right from the first nose you get deep, richly textured plum fruit, with nuances of chocolate shavings and baked earth. Pencil lead through the mid palate combines the restrained tug of limestone with the confidence of a wine that knows how to make an impression. This is great stuff, really well controlled, carefully but still exuberantly extracted, and one that you would be extremely happy to own. This is the last year in the old winery, with the fancy new one built into the St Emilion hillside, opening as of 2020. A yield of 40hl/ha. 100% new oak. Score: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2028 - 2046 Date: 18 May 2020
Deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Valandraud sings of freshly crushed black plums, warm blackberries and black cherry coulis with nuances of lavender, cinnamon stick, clove oil and aniseed with a fragrant waft of candied violets. Full-bodied, the palate is both densely laden with concentrated black fruits and wonderfully refreshing, with a firm backbone of velvety tannins, finishing with lingering exotic spice sparks. Score: 95 - 97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 18 June 2020
Extremely polished and refined red with structure. It’s full-bodied, yet ever so refined and balanced. The tannins are very fine-grained. Chewy, yet energetic and precise. Tight and integrated at the end. Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 28 May 2020
The grand vin 2019 Château Valandraud knocks it out of the park, and this more elegant vintage plays to this cuvée's strengths, giving it beautiful purity and balance paired with its natural richness and depth. Deeply hued with stunning notes of crème de cassis, toasted spices, incense, violets, and orange blossom, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a plush, sexy texture, awesome tannins, and a monster of a finish. Despite being a rich, powerful wine, it's flawlessly balanced and just classic Saint-Emilion. It's going to keep for 25-30 years. Score: 96 - 98 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2020 - 2050 Date: 11 May 2020

Tasting Notes

The 2019 Valandraud has a generous and oaky bouquet with blueberry and blackberry commingling with vanillary scents. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, velvety smooth in texture lending it a modern sheen, overtly oaky although I feel there is sufficient fruit behind it. This is defined by the winemaking rather than the terroir at the moment but it will come through with time. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Score: 91 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 Date: 01 February 2023

The 2019 Valandraud remains deep in color and yes, the bouquet marches out of the glass with its upfront, precocious aromas of black cherry and boysenberry fruit, plus touches of pressed violet crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied, complex and harmonious, with fine, very supple tannins, a keen line of acidity and a slightly creamy-textured finish. As I mentioned in my previous note, it belongs within the top tier of Right Bank wines in this vintage.

Score: 97 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 Date: 01 February 2022

The 2019 Valandraud is deep purple in color. It storms out of the glass with bold black cherries, boysenberry and faint scents of violet, extremely pure and seductive, the new oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is imbued with a sorbet-like freshness on the entry. The multi-layered dark cherry and plummy fruit is underpinned by a killer line of acidity. The finish feels pixelated to the n'th degree. This is a formidable wine from Jean-Luc Thunevin and ranks amongst the very best Right Bank wines of this vintage.

Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2050 Date: 16 June 2020

The 2019 Valandraud is sensational. Stunning in its delineation and with sheer energy, the 2019 dazzles right out of the gate. Dark red/purplish berry fruit, mocha, new leather, licorice and lavender all come alive in the glass. In 2019, Valandraud is a towering, statuesque wine that captures all the best the vintage had to offer. I tasted the 2019 three times and it was magnificent on all three occasions. It is a tremendous effort from Jean-Luc Thunevin and his Murielle Andraud. What a wine!

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2029-2049 Date: 01 February 2022

A regal, statuesque wine, the 2019 Valandraud dazzles from the very first taste. Deep, beautifully textured and expansive, the 2019 races across the palate with stunning energy and pure vibrancy. Dark plum, espresso, chocolate, licorice and menthol are some of the many aromas and flavors that build in the glass. A wine of notable power and explosive richness, Valandraud is truly magical in 2019.

Score: 95 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Date: 19 June 2020

This is gorgeous. There is high alcohol here and you do feel a slight trace of heat, but it is met by fruit that rises to fill in every step through the palate, along with cocoa beans, chocolate shavings, plum, boysenberry, loganberry, all textured, welcoming, juicy fruits of autumn, alongside cigar box, cold ash, shot through with smoke and bitter chocolate. So good.

Score: 97 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2026-2040 Date: 26 January 2022

Right from the first nose you get deep, richly textured plum fruit, with nuances of chocolate shavings and baked earth. Pencil lead through the mid palate combines the restrained tug of limestone with the confidence of a wine that knows how to make an impression. This is great stuff, really well controlled, carefully but still exuberantly extracted, and one that you would be extremely happy to own. This is the last year in the old winery, with the fancy new one built into the St Emilion hillside, opening as of 2020. A yield of 40hl/ha. 100% new oak.

Score: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2028 - 2046 Date: 18 May 2020

Deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Valandraud sings of freshly crushed black plums, warm blackberries and black cherry coulis with nuances of lavender, cinnamon stick, clove oil and aniseed with a fragrant waft of candied violets. Full-bodied, the palate is both densely laden with concentrated black fruits and wonderfully refreshing, with a firm backbone of velvety tannins, finishing with lingering exotic spice sparks.

Score: 95 - 97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 18 June 2020

Extremely polished and refined red with structure. It’s full-bodied, yet ever so refined and balanced. The tannins are very fine-grained. Chewy, yet energetic and precise. Tight and integrated at the end.

Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 28 May 2020

The grand vin 2019 Château Valandraud knocks it out of the park, and this more elegant vintage plays to this cuvée's strengths, giving it beautiful purity and balance paired with its natural richness and depth. Deeply hued with stunning notes of crème de cassis, toasted spices, incense, violets, and orange blossom, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a plush, sexy texture, awesome tannins, and a monster of a finish. Despite being a rich, powerful wine, it's flawlessly balanced and just classic Saint-Emilion. It's going to keep for 25-30 years.

Score: 96 - 98 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2020 - 2050 Date: 11 May 2020

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Valandraud 2019

St Emilion, Grand Cru

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