| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2021 Valandraud is quite backward on the nose, more-so than the Virginie at the moment, leaning toward red instead of black fruit. Loam and potpourri scents eventually emerge. The palate is medium-bodied with an uncharacteristically low-key entry, but the acidity is finely tuned and it feels elegant and natural. Not pushing too hard created a delicious Valandraud that will drink well for a number of years. (Drink between 2029-2045)
Black berry, pine nut, bark and dark mushroom aromas follow through to a medium body with creamy tannins that caress the palate and give a complexity and subtlety at the finish. Extremely fine velvety texture here. A beauty for the vintage. Drink in three or four years.
Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2021 Château Valandraud is based on 85% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a serious wine in the vintage and has a dense purple hue to go with brilliant aromatics of ripe blackberries, currants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and an undeniable sense of minerality. This ripe, medium to full-bodied 2021 has a layered, balanced mouthfeel, nicely integrated background oak, more mid-palate depth than just about every other wine in the vintage, and a gorgeous finish. It will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and drink well for 15+ years. (Drink between 2027-2045)
The 2021 Valandraud offers up aromas of minty berries framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, with a creamy attack that segues into a mid-palate built around chalky barrel tannins, it concludes with a vanillin-inflected and discreetly herbal finish. This showed more harmoniously en primeur than in bottle.
