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Valandraud 2015

St Emilion, Grand Cru

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Units Size Case size GBP Price: Quantities Buy
60 75cl Bottle Case 12 £1,040 per Case Cases [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

The 2015 Valandraud has a very perfumed bouquet, quite feisty in the glass with macerated black cherries, griottes, blueberry jam and graphite. It feels impenetrable at the moment and constitutes one of the most opaque Valandrauds that I have encountered just after bottling. The palate is smooth as satin on the entry: well-judged acidity, neatly integrated new oak, quite rich but well balanced with a sumptuous blackberry and cassis finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a classy offering from Jean-Luc Thunevin, although it deserves several years in bottle.

Score: 95

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2045 01 March 2018

The 2015 Chateau Valandraud is founded upon Jean-Luc Thunevin's ever-reliable Merlot parcels, and this year the blend is augmented with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a glorious and damn irresistible bouquet of crème de cassis, blueberry, crushed violets and a scintilla of citrus fruit, all beautifully defined and very precise. In 2015 it is determined to put a gap between itself and the Virginie de Valandraud. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, creamy in texture but not in the slightest cloying. The acidity is well judged with layers of caressing black fruit towards a finish for which I could only deploy the word - nubile. This will be a stunning Valandraud to savor over the next couple of decades, though it will be difficult to resist temptation in its youth.

Score: 95 - 97

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2045 01 April 2016

The 2015 Valandraud is medium to deep garnet-purple in color with a profound nose of baked cherries, warm black plums, blueberry preserves and smoked meats with tilled earth, mocha, Indian spices and dried herbs nuances plus a touch of licorice. The mouth is big, full-bodied and powerful with notable, velvety tannins and it is packed with savory and spice flavor layers, finishing with epic length. This big-boned, voluptuous, Rubenesque beauty will blow hedonists' minds! (96+)

Score: 96

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2021-2040 21 February 2018

Plenty of toasty oak and extract here. This has immensely concentrated fruits with powerful yet silky tannins. Blackberry and dark-plum aromas dominate the nose with hints of dark chocolate and candied orange. Flavors follow suit amid fluid, muscular tannins that hold long into the finish. Great wine. Try from 2023.

Score: 98

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 02 February 2018

A fabulous Valandraud with verve and distinction. So much bright blackberry, mineral and dark chocolate character. Full and ultra-silky textured. Powerful and balanced finish. A joy to taste. Purity. Greatest Valandraud ever. 85% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon.

Score: 98 - 99

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 01 April 2016

A gorgeous, arrestingly beautiful wine, the 2015 Valandraud delivers on all the promise it showed as a barrel sample, and then some. Soft contours and layers of sumptuous fruit add to its considerable appeal. Readers will have to give the 2015 at least a few years to develop aromatic complexity. Today, the wine's off-the-charts intensity and opulence are attention-grabbing, to be sure, but the best is yet to come. This is a superb showing from Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud. The 2015 is 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, all fermented in barrel.

Score: 97

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2040 01 February 2018

Deep, and beautifully layered, the 2015 Valandraud offers fabulous richness to match its seamless, alluring personality. Crème de cassis, blackberry jam, spice, licorice, menthol and lavender give the 2015 much of its unctuous feel. Silky tannins help reinforce an impression of opulence. As always, Valandraud is one of the most exotic, intense wines in Saint-Émilion, and yet, all the elements are very nicely woven together. The 2015 is 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, all fermented in barrel. Tasted two times.

Score: 93 - 96

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2016

A wine that will be a candidate for perfection at maturity, the 2015 Valandraud is a heavenly wine that exhibits a deep, saturated ruby/purple color as well as a sensational bouquet of blackcurrants, cassis, crème caramel, graphite, and chocolate. This full-bodied, expansive, super concentrated 2015 is a hedonistic dream and has exceptional purity, balance, and equilibrium. While it offers pleasure today, it needs short-term cellaring and will keep for 20+ years.

Score: 99

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2022-2042 30 November 2017

Displays beautiful fruit from the start, with cassis, raspberry and boysenberry notes moving together seamlessly, carried by a polished structure through the caressing finish. Seriously pure.

Score: 94 - 97

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 01 April 2016

New label. Very dark crimson. Almost roasted nose seems rather vieux jeu. Salty and sweet. Pushed to the limit. Sweet and sour impression. Not one of my favourite styles but I'm sure it will find favour with some palates. Awfully demanding and dry on the end. Though it certainly is concentrated.

Score: 16 - 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2025-2040 01 April 2016