Château Valandraud - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018

Yvesbeck.wine

97 / 100

byYves Beckthe1/26/2021

Rouge grenat dense. Bouquet intense et profond révélant autant la fraîcheur du terroir que la richesse du millésime. Invitantes notes de cerises et de baies noires. En bouche le vin est friand, invitant et parfaitement soutenu par ses tannins. Ces derniers sont soyeux, bien intégrés et en parfaite symbiose avec la structure acide. Un vin qui cumule charme, pertinence et fraîcheur.

Jamessuckling.com

96 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/26/2021

Grapefruit-zest, pear-skin, green-papaya, cardamom, chalk and hay aromas. Hints of vanilla and cream. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and a phenolic, creamy yet tight texture. Concentrated and focused with great length. Wonderful structure and energy. Better from 2022.

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/19/2021

This is really rich and intense with beautiful blackberry, violet and blueberry aromas that follow through to a full-bodied palate with extremely polished tannins that caress your palate. Love the texture and purity to the wine. Fantastic. Try after 2025.

Decanter.com

95 / 100

byJane Ansonthe1/12/2021

Vinous

94-96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe11/15/2019

The 2018 Valandraud was picked "un peu tard" according to Jean-Luc Thunevin. It has a gorgeous, very pure and intense bouquet with black cherries, cassis and raspberry coulis fruit, floral scents that emerge with time. The palate is silky smooth with beautifully integrated new oak, a fine bead of acidity thanks to the cold clayey soils and northerly exposure. The finish is opulent but very controlled and persistent. If you love Valandraud, you will hold this up as one of the best Jean-Luc Thunevin has crafted.

WeinWisser

19,5 / 20

the5/7/2019

Bettane & Desseauve

96 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2019

Immense couleur et sompteuse texture liée à une remarquable adresse dans l’extraction tannique et à une prise de bois exemplaire.

Vinous

94-97 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/1/2019

The 2018 Valandraud is magnificent. Unctuous and super-concentrated on the palate, the 2018 possesses off the charts richness. Crème de cassis, bittersweet chocolate, hard candy, lavender, menthol, licorice, mint and dark spice all meld together. The 2018 is quite shut down at this stage, which is probably a good thing for its long term prospects. The blend is 90% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. This is the first time since the early 1990s that Malbec has appeared in the blend. Yields came in at 48 hectoliters per hectare, a touch above the 45 or so that is more customary here.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-98 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/1/2019

Another great vintage for Jean-Luc Thunevin’s flagship wine, the 2018 Château Valandraud sports a glass-staining purple color as well as a mammoth-sized personality in its blue and black fruits, liquid violets, and graphite aromas and flavors. Possessing incredible depth and richness, full body, sweet tannins, and a finish that won’t quit, it’s one of the most hedonistic wines in the vintage, yet also possesses purity, balance, and elegance. It’s a thrilling, blockbuster to drink over the coming two decades or more.

Vinifera

94 /

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

C'est un vin à la trame serrée, épicée, qui manque un peu, à ce stade de délié dans le tanin. Du potentiel mais il se présente actuellement sur son versant austère.   

La Revue du Vin de France

15,5-17 / 20

the4/24/2019

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

Gird yourself for a hue akin to squid ink and then get ready... Swirling brings out the campfire embers, flowers, licorice, espresso, incense, black cherry liqueur, chocolate and plum. This is concentrated, rich and powerful. It's easy to notice the vitality on the palate as the wine becomes a ballerina. The finish is dense, long, fresh, fruity and spicy with vanilla, cherry and licorice in the end note. The wine is made from blending 90% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec, reaching 14.5% alcohol and is now aging in 100% new, French oak for 24-36 months.

Wine Advocate

95-97 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

Deep purple-black in color, the 2018 Valandraud develops slowly from a base of warm black cherries, blackberry compote and preserved plums with a perfume of sandalwood, Indian spices, lavender, wilted roses, mocha and fruitcake plus wafts of woodsmoke and camphor. Full-bodied, the palate is rich, ripe and flamboyant with tons of opulent black and blue fruit layers, wonderfully curtailed by a firm frame of velvety tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and very seductive.

Wine Enthusiast

96-98 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2019

A very fine vintage from this estate, this beautifully structured with rich tannins, spicy fruit and great concentration. The juicy acidity and power of the wine are impressive, giving firm tannins, great ripeness and a solid, concentrated texture.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

This is a fantastic young Bordeaux with superb depth of fruit and complex tannin structure. Hints of smoke, spice and toasted oak. Full body and firm, dusty tannins. Very long finish.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

96 / 100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Decanter.com

96 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/1/2019

Rich, deep, powerful and hugely persistent, this has tons of juicy black fruits but clearly in the more restrained frame that owner Jean Luc Thunevin has introduced over the past few vintages. It's a brilliant wine, full of personality, keeping its concentration and glamour and just easing towards balance, but still with its signature insouciance. Tasted several times and always delicious, this just pips the excellent 2016 for me. 3% Malbec completes the blend, the first time it's been included in the wine. 40hl/ha yield. 3.6pH. 100% new oak for extended ageing.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2042

Wine Spectator

96-99 / 100

byJames Molesworththe3/28/2019

This is richly fruited, with waves of fleshy raspberry, boysenberry and red currant cruising through, inlaid with singed vanilla and apple wood notes along the way. Shows density and cut through the finish, with a tug of tobacco at the end. This is dialed up to 11.