2014 Valandraud
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Tasting notes
The 2014 Valandraud has been a little inconsistent bottle-to-bottle in recent years. Darker fruit than its peers, the new oak is nicely integrated. Touches of mint and undergrowth seep through with aeration. There's a bit of chutzpah. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins that lend this Saint-Émilion a fleshier, more corpulent mouthfeel. Moving into secondary flavors, it offers white pepper and graphite notes, slightly ferrous and Pomerol-like toward the finish, where I discern just a little dryness that comes with maturity (this austerity seemed accentuated at the subsequent Southwold tasting where it was served blind). This is a Right Bank that feels more evolved vis-à-vis six years ago, and I temper my score accordingly. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Still very dark in colour with lots of fresh black fruit, still youthful in the context of this line-up of 2014 right-bank wines. Lovely freshness and an elegant, refined structure. Medium to full body and well balanced. Juicy and long with the tannins still evolving. (JH)
Luscious blue and black fruits on the nose, layered through with liqourice and toasted almond, along with creme patisserie giving that Thunevin gourmet twist. At the 10 years on point, the finesse of clay limestone soils are starting to come through, giving the promise of slow, steady ageing, with the patina of smooth tannins one decade on. Good quality.
The 2014 Valandraud does not show as well as I expected and so this tasting note originates from another bottle sourced in Bordeaux. This is more representative. All that blackberry and blueberry fruit on the extravagant nose (at least for a 2014) that effortlessly soaks up the new oak. The palate is quite dense and ravishing with pure black cherry and cassis fruit. Sure, it flirts with being a bit overdone but Jean-Luc Thunevin pulls the reins back just when it is needed. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
About the producer
One of the first garage wines, Ch. Valandraud was created by Jean-Luc Thunevin – Saint-Emilion’s “bad boy”. Today the style of the wine is much more restrained, and officially classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé B estate.