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Valandraud 2015

Tasting Notes

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.

98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2018

The 2015 Valandraud is medium to deep garnet colored. It prances out with flamboyant notes of plum pudding, blackberry preserves, mocha, and violets, plus suggestions of cracked black pepper and licorice. Big, concentrated, and full-bodied, the fruit is still very youthful and there is a little oak poking through, delivering firm, chewy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and opulent.

98
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, November 2022

Tasted blind. Very dark blueish crimson. Fresh and zesty. Real energy and wild flowers here. Thick and sweet. Lifted and really interesting and energetic. Long and intriguing.
Drink 2024-2044

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2019

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. 2022 - 2042

99
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2017

Rich and ripe on the nose the palate starts with fleshy sweet black fruits. There is a balancing freshness bright and lighter at the back with layers of flavour complexity the finish has depth the richness of ripe fruit. 2022-35

90/93
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2016

Jean-Luc Thunevin has made an ambitiously structured Valandraud in 2015: rich, supple
and super ripe with plenty of dark berry concentration, lashings of oak and sturdy tannins.
Time will tell if there’s enough acidity to keep the wine fresh in bottle. Drink: 2022-30

91
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2016

Massively concentrated and incredible plush and layered, this is a phenomenally sexy wine with masses of power and
really great spice and depth. There is exoticism here rarely seen in wine and the coffee and Asian spices embedded in its
chassis are extraordinary. Very well-built and very hedonistic, with some Douro spice creeping in, too, this is a thrilling
wine, albeit of a decadent and pumped-up style.

18.5+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2016
Read more tasting notes...

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. Drink 2022-2045

95/97
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (224), April 2016

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.

98/99
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 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! 2021 - 2040

96+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim Fe), February 2018

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.
Drink 2025-2040

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2016
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.