Super wine here. Aromas of spicy chocolate, almost jalapeño, then dark fruits. It’s full-bodied with silky tannins and a lovely finish. Balanced and refined. Just starting to come around. What depth of fruit. This has a long life ahead of it, but so good to drink now.

Quite pale. Fragrant Cab Franc nose. Very gentle and mellow. Relatively lightweight (objectively medium weight) but good balance and refreshing. Perhaps this doesn’t fully capitalise on the ripeness of the 1998 vintage but it has lovely balance and is very succulent. Lovely freshness. Very fine tannins lurking underneath. Very low key but admirably harmonious. 18.5/20

Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 1998 Valandraud has a sweet ripe bouquet with scents of dark berries, salted licorices, tobacco and cedar that is very intense and powerful. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. Bizarrely, it almost seems Left Bank in style with cedar and tobacco notes infusing the black fruit, the mintiness suggesting a Pauillac! I love the drive here, the focus and the slight aloofness, a wine that demands respect and is worthy of it. What a great 1998: elegant yet intense, classy yet approachable. I envisage this offering another 10-15 years of drinking pleasure. Tasted December 2016. - Neal Martin

Coffee bean, black cherry, plum, chocolate and fennel flavors lead to a sensually textured, St. Emilion that is already close to maturity. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=1998&wine=Chateau%20Valandraud

Intense aromas of roses, blackberry and prune. Full-bodied, with lots of ripe fruit, vanilla and chocolate character. Polished and silky mouthfeel. Even a little dusty. Long and beautiful. A burly, muscular wine in a traditional style; give it time. One of the best Valandrauds ever.—'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2011. 1,000 cases made. –JS