2018 Château Valandraud

Description

98    Jeb Dunnuck
“Another head-turning wine from Jean-Luc is his 2018 Château Valandraud, which is mostly Merlot blended with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible array of smoky black and blue fruits supported by notes of tobacco leaf, white chocolate, candied orange, and spice. This beauty has a deep, rich, powerful style yet holds onto a beautiful sense of purity and freshness, possessing ripe yet present tannin’s, plenty of textbook Saint-Emilion minerality, flawless balance, and a gorgeous finish. It reminds me of a slightly more approachable, elegant version of the 2016. Either way, it’s rock star stuff. It can be drunk today with pleasure yet deserves 4-6 years of bottle age and will keep for 20-25+.” (3/2021)

96-98   Roger Voss for Wine Enthusiast
“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.” (4/2019)

95-97+   Lisa Perrotti-Brown for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“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.” (4/2019)

94-97   Antonio Galloni for Vinous
“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.” (4/2019)

96   Decanter
“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. 3.6 pH. 100% new oak for extended ageing. Drinking window 2027 – 2042” Jane Anson (4/2019)

95   Neal Martin for Vinous
“The 2018 Valandraud packs a punch on the nose, delivering a complex array of scents: blackberry, raspberry, freshly picked violets and a touch of mint. The oak is beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins and commingled blue and blackberry fruit. Sweet and candied toward the finish, which has an almost Burgundian texture. Somehow quite Asian in style, with touches of hoisin on the aftertaste, this is a very classy and completely delicious Valandraud.” (3/2021)

95    James Molesworth for Wine Spectator
“This shows off a range of loganberry, black currant and fig notes that are enticing in feel thanks to racy acidity, while singed sandalwood, incense and bay details line the finish. Sneaky length too. Lovely. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Best from 2023 through 2036.” (3/2021)