I always love the 2005 Château Valandraud and this is a ripe, sexy, incredible compelling wine from Jean-Luc. Ripe black fruits, graphite, smoked meats, chocolate, and truffly earth are just some of the nuances here and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a plush, layered mouthfeel, beautiful yet building tannins, and a great finish. This is heavenly juice, and while I love it today, it has another two decades of prime drinking.

Tasted single blind at Southwold. The nose seemed to be at an awkward stage with -funky- black cherry and plum-tinged fruit that lacks cohesion at the moment. The palate is smooth and sensuous, very fleshy but underlying some beautifully extracted tannins that coat the mouth. It seems to crescendo in the mouth, improving with very sip. An intellectual Valandraud. Drink 2012-2025+

Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2005 Valandraud is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc aged in new oak for 22 months. It has a very precise bouquet with fine delineation: copious blackberry, raspberry and crisp strawberry fruit, impressive mineralité with subtle marine scents lapping against the shore. The palate is very composed on the entry. It has an almost Burgundy-like texture. This is very refined and cohesive, silky smooth with a powerful and intense bravura of a finish. Perhaps the most sophisticated wine that Jean-Luc Thunévin had made at that point, it comes highly recommended and is just beginning to drink now. Tasted December 2016. - Neal Martin

Dark ruby in color with intense aromas of blackberry mineral and dried lavender. Full-bodied very dense and layered with powerful tannins. This is big and very rich. A bodybuilder. Needs time. Best after 2016. 1330 cases made. -JS