Château de Valandraud

5/7/2019 WeinWisser WEINWISSER : 19,5 / 20 5/3/2019 Bettane & Desseauve BETTANE & DESSEAUVE ( BETTANE & DESSEAUVE) : 96 / 100 Immense couleur et sompteuse texture liée à une remarquable adresse dans l’extraction tannique et à une prise de bois exemplaire. 5/1/2019 Vinous VINOUS (ANTONIO GALLONI) : 94-97 / 100 The 2018 Valandraud is magnificent. Unctuous and super-concentrated on the palate, the 2018 possesses off the charts richness. Crème de cassis, bittersweet chocolate, hard candy, lavender, menthol, licorice, mint and dark spice all meld together. The 2018 is quite shut down at this stage, which is probably a good thing for its long term prospects. The blend is 90% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. This is the first time since the early 1990s that Malbec has appeared in the blend. Yields came in at 48 hectoliters per hectare, a touch above the 45 or so that is more customary here. 5/1/2019 Jeb DUNNUCK JEB DUNNUCK (JEB DUNNUCK) : 96-98 / 100 Another great vintage for Jean-Luc Thunevin’s flagship wine, the 2018 Château Valandraud sports a glass-staining purple color as well as a mammoth-sized personality in its blue and black fruits, liquid violets, and graphite aromas and flavors. Possessing incredible depth and richness, full body, sweet tannins, and a finish that won’t quit, it’s one of the most hedonistic wines in the vintage, yet also possesses purity, balance, and elegance. It’s a thrilling, blockbuster to drink over the coming two decades or more. 4/24/2019 La Revue du Vin de France LA REVUE DU VIN DE FRANCE : 15,5-17 / 20 4/23/2019 The Wine Cellar Insider THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER (JEFF LEVE) : 96-98 / 100 Gird yourself for a hue akin to squid ink and then get ready... Swirling brings out the campfire embers, flowers, licorice, espresso, incense, black cherry liqueur, chocolate and plum. This is concentrated, rich and powerful. It's easy to notice the vitality on the palate as the wine becomes a ballerina. The finish is dense, long, fresh, fruity and spicy with vanilla, cherry and licorice in the end note. The wine is made from blending 90% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec, reaching 14.5% alcohol and is now aging in 100% new, French oak for 24-36 months. 4/23/2019 Wine Advocate WINE ADVOCATE (LISA PERROTTI-BROWN) : 95-97 / 100 Deep purple-black in color, the 2018 Valandraud develops slowly from a base of warm black cherries, blackberry compote and preserved plums with a perfume of sandalwood, Indian spices, lavender, wilted roses, mocha and fruitcake plus wafts of woodsmoke and camphor. Full-bodied, the palate is rich, ripe and flamboyant with tons of opulent black and blue fruit layers, wonderfully curtailed by a firm frame of velvety tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and very seductive. 4/17/2019 Wine Enthusiast WINE ENTHUSIAST (ROGER VOSS) : 96-98 / 100 A very fine vintage from this estate, this beautifully structured with rich tannins, spicy fruit and great concentration. The juicy acidity and power of the wine are impressive, giving firm tannins, great ripeness and a solid, concentrated texture. 4/12/2019 Jamessuckling.com JAMESSUCKLING.COM (JAMES SUCKLING) : 97-98 / 100 This is a fantastic young Bordeaux with superb depth of fruit and complex tannin structure. Hints of smoke, spice and toasted oak. Full body and firm, dusty tannins. Very long finish. 4/8/2019 Quarin JEAN-MARC QUARIN (JEAN-MARC QUARIN) : 96 / 100 4/1/2019 Decanter.com DECANTER.COM (JANE ANSON) : 96 / 100 Rich, deep, powerful and hugely persistent, this has tons of juicy black fruits but clearly in the more restrained frame that owner Jean Luc Thunevin has introduced over the past few vintages. It's a brilliant wine, full of personality, keeping its concentration and glamour and just easing towards balance, but still with its signature insouciance. Tasted several times and always delicious, this just pips the excellent 2016 for me. 3% Malbec completes the blend, the first time it's been included in the wine. 40hl/ha yield. 3.6pH. 100% new oak for extended ageing. Drinking Window 2027 - 2042 3/28/2019 Wine Spectator WINE SPECTATOR (JAMES MOLESWORTH) : 96-99 / 100 This is richly fruited, with waves of fleshy raspberry, boysenberry and red currant cruising through, inlaid with singed vanilla and apple wood notes along the way. Shows density and cut through the finish, with a tug of tobacco at the end. This is dialed up to 11.