Valandraud 2020

Type: Red Wine      Volume: 750ml

Winery: Valandraud

Country: France     Region: Bordeaux

District: St Emilion Grand Cru

Grapes Varieties: 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc

Classification:      Production: 3200 Cases

Alcohol: 15% abv     Packing: Original Wooden Case of 6 bottles

Ratings and Tasting Notes:

JS=99 Very opulent and expressive aromas of black fruit and pine needles. So floral. Full-bodied with plush, velvety tannins and lots of fruit and texture. It goes on for minutes. Rich at the finish, but remains fresh and vivid. Superb. One of the great Valandrauds. Drink after 2027.

AG=98. WS=93 Tilts to the showy side, with a flourish of black currant and fig preserves, warmed black tea, melted black licorice and a hint of alder smoke as well, all framed by a warm loam- and espresso crema-accented finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2027 through 2040.

WA=92 If the 2019 vintage at this address was something of a guilty pleasure, the 2020 Valandraud is simply guilty as charged. Exhibiting aromas of jammy black fruits mingled with toasted coconut, spices and caricatural slatherings of new oak, it's full-bodied, rich and chewy, with generously extracted tannins that clamp down on the finish. All that oak and extract impedes access to the wine's generous fruit, rendering it less demonstrative and gourmand than its 2019 counterpart, and that's a pity, as recent vintages of Valandraud have been among the more successful of the few remaining hold-out "garagiste" wines of the Right Bank.