Chateau Valandraud 2020

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."

JEB DUNNUCK: "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."

WEINWISSER: "Extrem dunkles Purpur mit schwarzer Mitte und zartem lila Rand. Sehr konzentriertes schwarzbeeriges Bouquet gepaart mit einer Ladung exotischer Hölzer und dominikanischem Tabak. Im zweiten Ansatz verführerischer Iris-Duft, dunkle Schokotrüffel und frisch gebrühter Espresso. Am komplexen Gaumen mit samtiger Textur, festgezurrtes Tannin- korsett, feinkörnige Extraktfülle und sehr muskulöser Körper. Im komplexen Finale explodiert der Gigant mit Wildkirsche, Heidelbeerensaft und flüssiger dunkler Schokolade. Wer kann dieser Versuchung widerstehen? Ich nicht!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Completely opaque in color, the nose explodes with chocolate, espresso, smoke, blackberries, black cherries, truffles, smoke and licorice. Full-bodied, opulent and intense, this hedonistically-textured thrill ride coats your palate with layers of velvety, dark red, black and blue fruits, mocha, espresso and Asian spices. The array of sensations here is exactly what the doctor ordered. This is a sublime tasting experience that while it is superb to enjoy young in its primary state, the best is yet to come with some age that will allow the wine to build, expand and gain secondary nuances. Drink from 2026.2055."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This 17-acre vineyard gives a wine with an explosion of black fruits. It offers sweetness balanced by acidity and impressive tannins. The wood aging gives a polished texture with richness and style in balance. Drink this wine from 2027."

DECANTER: "Juicy and alive, a brightness to this even though the fruits are dark in profile - blackcurrant, black cherry, herbal-tinged blueberries - heady and seductive. Layers of acidity, mint, freshness and toast combine to give quite a full and complex palate with everything at the fore yet staying the right side of being too much. Strong and characterful but totally charming. I love the St-Emilion glamour and muscle, softly flexing with a salty minerality and unmistakable signature."

FALSTAFF: "Im Duft Heidelbeere. Kräftiges Neuholz. Vanille. Lakritze. Am Gaumen dicht mit fleischigem Gerbstoff bepackt, sehr kompakt, saftig auflösend, intensive mineralische Frische, viel Spannung, eine abgeklärte Struktur ohne jeden Exzess. Passend geschmeidig unterlegt, sehr gute Länge. Der Alkohol bleibt nahezu unmerklich trotz 15 Volumenprozent."

WINE SPECTATOR: " 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. 3,200 cases made."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Notably dark blackish crimson. Seriously heady nose! But not simple. This is a right-bank cocktail of flavours – utterly hedonistic. Lots of layers of interest. Masses of alcohol, but masses of flavour too with (just) enough acidity and tannin. 2020 right bank taken to its limit?"