Valandraud 2015

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

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

Jean-Luc Thunevin has made an ambitiously structured Valandraud in 2015: rich, suppleand 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

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

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. Anticipated maturity: 2022 - 2045.

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

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.

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

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