Critic Notes
Extremely polished and refined red with structure. It’s full-bodied, yet ever so refined and balanced. The tannins are very fine-grained. Chewy, yet energetic and precise. Tight and integrated at the end.
Score: 97-98/100James Suckling
Right from the first nose you get deep, richly textured plum fruit, with nuances of chocolate shavings and baked earth. Pencil lead through the mid palate combines the restrained tug of limestone with the confidence of a wine that knows how to make an impression. This is great stuff, really well controlled, carefully but still exuberantly extracted, and one that you would be extremely happy to own. This is the last year in the old winery, with the fancy new one built into the St Emilion hillside, opening as of 2020. A yield of 40hl/ha. 100% new oak.
Score: 97-/100DecanterDrinking Window: 2028-2046
The 2019 Valandraud is deep purple in color. It storms out of the glass with bold black cherries, boysenberry and faint scents of violet, extremely pure and seductive, the new oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is imbued with a sorbet-like freshness on the entry. The multi-layered dark cherry and plummy fruit is underpinned by a killer line of acidity. The finish feels pixelated to the n'th degree. This is a formidable wine from Jean-Luc Thunevin and ranks amongst the very best Right Bank wines of this vintage.
Score: 96-98/100Neal MartinDrinking Window: 2025-2050
Deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Valandraud sings of freshly crushed black plums, warm blackberries and black cherry coulis with nuances of lavender, cinnamon stick, clove oil and aniseed with a fragrant waft of candied violets. Full-bodied, the palate is both densely laden with concentrated black fruits and wonderfully refreshing, with a firm backbone of velvety tannins, finishing with lingering exotic spice sparks.
Score: 95-97/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A regal, statuesque wine, the 2019 Valandraud dazzles from the very first taste. Deep, beautifully textured and expansive, the 2019 races across the palate with stunning energy and pure vibrancy. Dark plum, espresso, chocolate, licorice and menthol are some of the many aromas and flavors that build in the glass. A wine of notable power and explosive richness, Valandraud is truly magical in 2019.
Score: 95-97/100Antonio Galloni
Deep dark red with purple accents in its hue, the wine provides a beautiful freshness to the ripe, sweet, juicy cherries, espresso and licorice. Not as powerful or as concentrated as some recent vintages, instead you discover more, energy, refinement, elegance and purity in the lingering fruits.
Score: 95-97/100Jeff Leve
Deep purple-black hue. Modern and exotic with dark fruit and spice notes. Lots of extract, the palate full, round, plush and gourmand. Big, chewy tannins but bound by the fruit and the whole in balance. Good length. (JL)
Score: 17-/20Jancis RobinsonDrinking Window: 2027-2040
