Chateau Valandraud Saint-Emilion 2020 (750ml)

James Suckling

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.' 'One of the wines of the vintage is Jean-Luc Thunevin's 2020 Château Valandraud which comes from the cooler eastern side of Saint-Emilion. Exhibiting a dense purple hue as well as an incredible perfume of crème de cassis ripe black cherries violets new leather and an almost Hermitage-like burning embers character it hits the palate with full-bodied richness ripe seamless tannins remarkable purity of fruit and a finish that won't quit. A blend of 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon it's clearly in the same league as the 2019 if not slightly more concentrated. Give bottles 5-7 years in the cellar count yourself lucky and enjoy over the following 20-25 years or so.' 'The 2020 Valandraud is a stunner. Rich deep and explosive the 2020 possesses dazzling intensity from start to finish. Silky tannins wrap around a core of plush dark red/black fruit licorice spice mocha and new leather. Even with all of its intensity the 2020 is bright and wonderfully focused. Sweet floral and blood orange accents liven up the explosive finish. Magnificent.' 'This is excellent broad-shouldered with ample depth to the brambled fruits liquorice cigar box spice with a gorgeously saline finish. Chalky grippy tannins keep tugging you back into the body of the wine. The tannic grip is helped by a linen rather than silk texture that stops things being overly smooth and instead adds depth and interest to the powerfully knitted body as do white flowers on the aromatics as it opens. Good stuff. 100% new oak for 24 months. A yield of 49hl/ha. Thunevin has sold a 50% stake in Valandraud to the Lefevre family at Sansonnet (also the new owners of Villemaurine so a busy year for them).' '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.