Decanted 2+ hours, tiny bit of fine sediment. Very dark. Black cherries, tobacco, sweet oak and a bit of mocha on the nose. on the palate more sweet black cherries, some licorice and spices, and a good dollop of oak (that is not yet fully integrated). Superb, medium-long finish. Will benefit from a few more years of age as well as a good decant. Well done for a second wine!! 92-93+
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Beautiful earth nose,. wonderful mouthfeel of vanilla, balance, pure aging fruit, and a really nice wine that created great conversation over Kalbi-chim. This is the right time to drink this wine. Even better than the young 2019 Las Combes we had right after. W-Heekyung, Gidon, Hejin, and Mrs. What a wine.
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Valandraud, St. Emilion: A just fine, fun-ish, easy going, smooth, simple, kinda fruity, BBQ on a sunny May afternoon kind of wine. Don't think about it. Nothing for me to seek out necessarily, but it's ok if you just want to have a stem of red in your hand while you're conversing about golf...or knitting...
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Took around an hour to open up . Amazing tannin with great structure and aroma with a lot of nice berries with nice balance of alcohol, spice and smooth oak. Medium to full body with long finishing. Very good one for a second wine of VVD.
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It took about two hours to open up, but when it did was it ever a nice young lady - great red berries from the merlot and a very enjoyable undertone of smoked beef. It's just so fun to try and find all the many flavors that compete with each other in these little gems, and with this vintage in particular I'm so much looking forward to the evolution of both the fruits and the terroir in these right bank bords. By 2030-33 they should be simply awesome
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In the top vintages Valandraud Grand Vin is one of the top wines of the vintage and probably the least known. So I figured might as well buy the second wine to see how it develops/stacks up.
2.5 years since my last tasting, thought it was time to check back in based on previous note and compelling reviews.
PnP and now ~45 in large bordeaux glass and sipped throughout. Not finding the same experience as others. The good news is the acid did integrate however the attack needs to soften and round out along with the bitter oak tannins. Has the stuffing but still TBD of it will all come together. Half of the bottle remains under cork no gas.
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Hard to believe this is a second wine. The Chateau V. must be an incredible wine if this is any indication. Better than the 2009 at least on initial impression and early drinking and much better than last bottle a few years ago. Sipping slowly with Coravin.
Day 2 with more air-it's superb. I might take it up to a 93. Smooth, and mid-weight but plenty of dark and red fruit and some smoke and truffle. It's a lovely St. Emilion.
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Good after a 45 minute decant. Great wine while just watching a movie or relaxing on the deck as it does not require food. Can def go at least another 10 years and probably more.
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Chocolate and spices dominate the red and black fruits of this rich mouthfeeled wine. Great QPR!!! It’s starting to integrate quite nicely, but isn’t showing too much further development yet.
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Nicely focused and quite expressive. A mix of red fruits and fragrant baking spices on the nose that stayed open the whole time. I didn't pick up any acidic streak and the tannins are already nicely controlled The mouthfeel was especially rich and the finish was quite elegant and filled with a nice mix of red raspberry jam and creamy vanilla. Should really continue to develop beautifully over the next few years.
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Opened day-1 and tasted day-2. The wine's deep purple color is rich with earthy minerals, slightly sour dark fruits, cassis, and a hint of vanilla. The wine goes on and on with silty tannins that are still quite prominent, but very fine. This is a winner that is drinking well now and will only get better with some age.
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It’s been about 6 months since I last tried the 2016 Virginie de Valandraud which, really isn’t a true 2nd wine of Chateau Valandraud. In fact, it’s made in the same fashion as the Grand Vin by the same team but from separate terroir. The wine pours a deep, impenetrable, glass staining ruby and there’s already a bunch of sediment coating the inside of the bottle. The nose is high intensity, with currants, tobacco, bell pepper, purple flowers, smoke, and baking spice. On the palate, the wine is generous with perfectly ripe dark fruits, tobacco, earth and baking spice. Finish is bone dry. This is a dense, extracted wine yet it remains balanced. The structure is firm but not overbearing. Great acid. While this is really good stuff now, I expect it will continue to evolve for many years to come. Check back in another 6-10 years.
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Solid Boudreaux. Give it an hour or two to open up. Nice fruit with some spice notes and pretty tannic. This one should evolve nicely. Hope I can hold off drinking the others but it may be tough.
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PnP then decanted for 1 hour. The wine is too high toned in its current state to be fully enjoyable unless that is your palate preference. This is a medium bodied wine, predominantly dark red fruit with some blue that emerge however the acidity over powers what as of now are well integrated tannins for a 2016.
Not sure if the acidity will integrate with time or stay at the forefront but for me I will hold for 2-3 years and check back in then. I know it’s a second wine but it’s a far cry from its big brother.
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For a young Bordeaux this one was very promising, with bright sexy fruit and controlled tannins. Really thought the acidity heightened the rich cassis fruit attack and provided some nice verve to the finish. For a second label and a steal from last bottle ($40 per) to me this is a great grab if someone wants an early accessible 2016.
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What a super delicious wine. Sensational dark, inky Right Bank Bordeaux with a phenomenal QPR. Definitely a fruit forward offering while still classy and restrained. The nose was stewed fruit, cassis, graphite, baking spices and earth. On the palette one gets a full bodied wine with some acidity along with plum, blueberry, cocoa, tobacco and some licorice.
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Second bottle had tonight with herbed grilled chicken thighs, lentils over basmati rice and a spinach salad with plum tomatoes . What a killer pairing. Beautiful nose that opens over 90 mins and a light, lingering finish that did not overwhelm the bird and salad. Great and diverse wine to be enjoyed now IMO.
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If Bordeaux could be California merlot, this is it!!! Smoked meats, graphite, plums, blackberries, red flowers , fudge brownie mix, the wine gushes with flavor. The acidity is what gives it away. Just a pleasure to drink.
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Full body, very smooth drinking, acidity and tannins there, under control. Black fruit and oak apparent, but it hasn’t opened up to enough complexity for me over hours of air in two days of drinking, even though the potential is obvious. It feels like watching a good movie through frosted glass. I’m not opening another bottle before a year or two.
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Disappointing, to say the least. Hard and astringent. Opened two bottles, with consistent results. Maybe the shipment got skunked on the tarmac somewhere?
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This is a very nice wine. Very smooth and silky, needs 3 hours at this phase to have all the stuffing come out, but when it does, its exquisite! Usually dark fruits, sweet and succulent... I imagine additional bottle age would make this a tremendous wine in time... Nicely done, excellent structure and deep purple in color. If you like Figeac 2nd and Mallet - you will like this too! Good QPR too!
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The wine shows richness, ripe black cherries, licorice and espresso. There is a depth of flavor and lushness to the texture that makes this a turn on. There is freshness and sweet, ripe dark, red fruits that leave a nice impression on the palate and in the finish.
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Fresh and clearly bordeaux on the nose, but is stuffed with dark red and blue fruit, a solid backbone with classic cassis notes, some new world influence for sure. But Best of both worlds. 14.5% alc., punching in way above its price-point.
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Freshness is right out in front, racing the ample fruit for attention on the nose and on the palate. The wine easily sells its smoky, tobacco, licorice, dark red berry and cocoa aura. Soft tannins, sweet black plum, blackberry and a fruit-a-lious finish are the name of the game.
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5/14/2024 - Brett.Roberts2261 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Could you another year or two
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4/22/2024 - BHRH Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 2+ hours, tiny bit of fine sediment.
Very dark. Black cherries, tobacco, sweet oak and a bit of mocha on the nose. on the palate more sweet black cherries, some licorice and spices, and a good dollop of oak (that is not yet fully integrated).
Superb, medium-long finish. Will benefit from a few more years of age as well as a good decant. Well done for a second wine!!
92-93+
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2/9/2024 - stschutz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful earth nose,. wonderful mouthfeel of vanilla, balance, pure aging fruit, and a really nice wine that created great conversation over Kalbi-chim. This is the right time to drink this wine. Even better than the young 2019 Las Combes we had right after. W-Heekyung, Gidon, Hejin, and Mrs. What a wine.
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11/24/2023 - csimm wrote: 91 Points
Valandraud, St. Emilion: A just fine, fun-ish, easy going, smooth, simple, kinda fruity, BBQ on a sunny May afternoon kind of wine. Don't think about it. Nothing for me to seek out necessarily, but it's ok if you just want to have a stem of red in your hand while you're conversing about golf...or knitting...
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11/11/2023 - HWG99 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Took around an hour to open up . Amazing tannin with great structure and aroma with a lot of nice berries with nice balance of alcohol, spice and smooth oak. Medium to full body with long finishing. Very good one for a second wine of VVD.
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10/18/2023 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely dark fruit, nice savory undercurrents, delicious.
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10/7/2023 - Evandro Boabaid wrote:
8
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9/26/2023 - robmatic wrote: 91 Points
Velvety wine, with powerful but lush tannins, modern, squeaky clean.
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9/10/2023 - Mr.Overhill Likes this wine: 93 Points
It took about two hours to open up, but when it did was it ever a nice young lady - great red berries from the merlot and a very enjoyable undertone of smoked beef. It's just so fun to try and find all the many flavors that compete with each other in these little gems, and with this vintage in particular I'm so much looking forward to the evolution of both the fruits and the terroir in these right bank bords. By 2030-33 they should be simply awesome
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8/27/2023 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine: 94 Points
this was worth the wait. All good now, drink it up. Tannins have softened giving way to luxurious red fruits and smooth finish. I love it!
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7/15/2023 - LiteItOnFire wrote: 88 Points
In the top vintages Valandraud Grand Vin is one of the top wines of the vintage and probably the least known. So I figured might as well buy the second wine to see how it develops/stacks up.
2.5 years since my last tasting, thought it was time to check back in based on previous note and compelling reviews.
PnP and now ~45 in large bordeaux glass and sipped throughout. Not finding the same experience as others. The good news is the acid did integrate however the attack needs to soften and round out along with the bitter oak tannins. Has the stuffing but still TBD of it will all come together. Half of the bottle remains under cork no gas.
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6/29/2023 - econnertx Likes this wine: 92 Points
Love love, classic Bordeaux style, rich color, depth and lasting profile gram cru comes through. First time in a year and the age holds well!
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5/12/2023 - Evandro Boabaid wrote:
9
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2/8/2023 - caseychesterfield@gmail.com Likes this wine:
lovely
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1/8/2023 - BigChalice wrote: 92 Points
Really nice wine - great qpr. Wish I had some steak.
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5/10/2022 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very Consistent bottle to bottle. Excellent wine that I would not hesitate to get again.
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3/23/2022 - Triforwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Hard to believe this is a second wine. The Chateau V. must be an incredible wine if this is any indication. Better than the 2009 at least on initial impression and early drinking and much better than last bottle a few years ago. Sipping slowly with Coravin.
Day 2 with more air-it's superb. I might take it up to a 93. Smooth, and mid-weight but plenty of dark and red fruit and some smoke and truffle. It's a lovely St. Emilion.
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3/14/2022 - VinedyRoad Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened up nicely after ~1.5 hour decant. Great PVF for quality a Saint-Emilion. Need to keep hands off remaining bottles for a while.
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3/6/2022 - msf6msf6 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good after a 45 minute decant. Great wine while just watching a movie or relaxing on the deck as it does not require food. Can def go at least another 10 years and probably more.
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12/23/2021 - ashishnag Likes this wine: 92 Points
3 hr decant. Well rounded with high acid and great minerality. Herbaceous on the palate. Very nice black fruit, still mostly primary character.
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12/4/2021 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Chocolate and spices dominate the red and black fruits of this rich mouthfeeled wine. Great QPR!!! It’s starting to integrate quite nicely, but isn’t showing too much further development yet.
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10/28/2021 - Mr.Overhill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nicely focused and quite expressive. A mix of red fruits and fragrant baking spices on the nose that stayed open the whole time. I didn't pick up any acidic streak and the tannins are already nicely controlled The mouthfeel was especially rich and the finish was quite elegant and filled with a nice mix of red raspberry jam and creamy vanilla. Should really continue to develop beautifully over the next few years.
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6/3/2021 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened day-1 and tasted day-2. The wine's deep purple color is rich with earthy minerals, slightly sour dark fruits, cassis, and a hint of vanilla. The wine goes on and on with silty tannins that are still quite prominent, but very fine. This is a winner that is drinking well now and will only get better with some age.
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5/29/2021 - thesternowl wrote: 92 Points
It’s been about 6 months since I last tried the 2016 Virginie de Valandraud which, really isn’t a true 2nd wine of Chateau Valandraud. In fact, it’s made in the same fashion as the Grand Vin by the same team but from separate terroir. The wine pours a deep, impenetrable, glass staining ruby and there’s already a bunch of sediment coating the inside of the bottle. The nose is high intensity, with currants, tobacco, bell pepper, purple flowers, smoke, and baking spice. On the palate, the wine is generous with perfectly ripe dark fruits, tobacco, earth and baking spice. Finish is bone dry. This is a dense, extracted wine yet it remains balanced. The structure is firm but not overbearing. Great acid. While this is really good stuff now, I expect it will continue to evolve for many years to come. Check back in another 6-10 years.
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5/12/2021 - FlyPig Likes this wine: 92 Points
Hold
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4/17/2021 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 93 Points
Noticed a tad bit more oak on this bottle. A great all around wine. The more air time you can give it the better but it’s good from the start also.
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2/16/2021 - HeavyPourWine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good after 1.5 hour decant
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1/1/2021 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid Boudreaux. Give it an hour or two to open up. Nice fruit with some spice notes and pretty tannic. This one should evolve nicely. Hope I can hold off drinking the others but it may be tough.
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12/26/2020 - LiteItOnFire wrote: 89 Points
PnP then decanted for 1 hour. The wine is too high toned in its current state to be fully enjoyable unless that is your palate preference. This is a medium bodied wine, predominantly dark red fruit with some blue that emerge however the acidity over powers what as of now are well integrated tannins for a 2016.
Not sure if the acidity will integrate with time or stay at the forefront but for me I will hold for 2-3 years and check back in then. I know it’s a second wine but it’s a far cry from its big brother.
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12/4/2020 - Mr.Overhill wrote: 92 Points
For a young Bordeaux this one was very promising, with bright sexy fruit and controlled tannins. Really thought the acidity heightened the rich cassis fruit attack and provided some nice verve to the finish. For a second label and a steal from last bottle ($40 per) to me this is a great grab if someone wants an early accessible 2016.
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10/19/2020 - ChopperWine Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a super delicious wine. Sensational dark, inky Right Bank Bordeaux with a phenomenal QPR. Definitely a fruit forward offering while still classy and restrained. The nose was stewed fruit, cassis, graphite, baking spices and earth. On the palette one gets a full bodied wine with some acidity along with plum, blueberry, cocoa, tobacco and some licorice.
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10/11/2020 - Sr. Fuego wrote:
Terrific.
Let open for an hour .
Great with grilled chicken thighs and lentils.
Could pare with pork as well.
Too light for steak
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10/11/2020 - Sr. Fuego wrote: 93 Points
Second bottle had tonight with herbed grilled chicken thighs, lentils over basmati rice and a spinach salad with plum tomatoes .
What a killer pairing.
Beautiful nose that opens over 90 mins and a light, lingering finish that did not overwhelm the bird and salad.
Great and diverse wine to be enjoyed now IMO.
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10/4/2020 - Wine MOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
If Bordeaux could be California merlot, this is it!!! Smoked meats, graphite, plums, blackberries, red flowers , fudge brownie mix, the wine gushes with flavor. The acidity is what gives it away. Just a pleasure to drink.
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8/31/2020 - Zafer wrote: 92 Points
Full body, very smooth drinking, acidity and tannins there, under control. Black fruit and oak apparent, but it hasn’t opened up to enough complexity for me over hours of air in two days of drinking, even though the potential is obvious. It feels like watching a good movie through frosted glass. I’m not opening another bottle before a year or two.
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8/31/2020 - actx Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine. Lots of tanning, black fruit, a bit of cedar. All that you want in a St. Emillion. Inky black, smooth, easy to drink.
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8/10/2020 - FLI Likes this wine: 86 Points
Disappointing, to say the least. Hard and astringent. Opened two bottles, with consistent results. Maybe the shipment got skunked on the tarmac somewhere?
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12/22/2019 - Marquis du Vin Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a very nice wine. Very smooth and silky, needs 3 hours at this phase to have all the stuffing come out, but when it does, its exquisite!
Usually dark fruits, sweet and succulent... I imagine additional bottle age would make this a tremendous wine in time... Nicely done, excellent structure and deep purple in color. If you like Figeac 2nd and Mallet - you will like this too! Good QPR too!
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9/21/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
The wine shows richness, ripe black cherries, licorice and espresso. There is a depth of flavor and lushness to the texture that makes this a turn on. There is freshness and sweet, ripe dark, red fruits that leave a nice impression on the palate and in the finish.
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6/3/2019 - Wine G Likes this wine: 94 Points
Jeff's tasting note is on-point, as usual.
Fresh and clearly bordeaux on the nose, but is stuffed with dark red and blue fruit, a solid backbone with classic cassis notes, some new world influence for sure. But Best of both worlds. 14.5% alc., punching in way above its price-point.
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4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Freshness is right out in front, racing the ample fruit for attention on the nose and on the palate. The wine easily sells its smoky, tobacco, licorice, dark red berry and cocoa aura. Soft tannins, sweet black plum, blackberry and a fruit-a-lious finish are the name of the game.
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