2011 Château Valandraud

The 2011 Valandraud has never been one of my favourite vintages from Jean-Luc Thunevin, and I've always had some reservations. This example has quite a volatile nose, a little acetic though it does appear to improve in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, good grip with brambly red fruit, white pepper and whilst there is good substance on the finish, it just lacks some amplitude. I have had much better bottles in the past. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

- Neal Martin (09/2021)

Nicely toasty, with lovely mocha and cocoa notes framing the core of ripe, enticing plum, blackberry and boysenberry fruit. Shows a lovely echo of ganache through the finish. A very flattering style, with gorgeous mouthfeel and ample depth. Best from 2015 through 2025.

- James Molesworth (03/2014)

Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2011 Valandraud was the most disappointing of recent vintages, surpassed here by several other wines from equally "challenging" growing seasons. At 30% Cabernet Franc, it has the highest amount of any recent vintages and I wonder if that did not play to Jean-Luc's strengths? It has quite a high-toned bouquet with bold crème de cassis, boysenberry and briary scents that feel more like a 2009 than 2011. The palate is medium-bodied with an attacking, tannic entry. It feels a little angular in the mouth at the moment: dense black fruit, somehow "spiky" and missing a cohesion. It could be a case of just needing more time to gain cohesion, but there is a bitterness on the finish that just nags away, possibly due to that Cabernet Franc. Tasted December 2016.

- Neal Martin (03/2017)