The 2014 Valandraud from Saint-Emilion superstar Jean-Luc Thunevin is certainly up with the crème de la crème of the vintage, and while I can be a little humdrum with regards to 2014, this is one of the few that will cause your heart rate to jump. A deep purple/ruby color is accompanied by a terrific perfume of ripe black cherries, blackberries, Asian spices, decaying flowers and hints of tobacco. Deep, layered, full-bodied, and tannic, it needs to be forgotten for at least 4-5 years and will keep for two decades. It’s one of the few “do not miss” wines in 2014.

The 2014 Valandraud is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. Notes of unsmoked cigars and smoked meats waft from the glass, followed by hints of black cherry compote and plum preserves with a touch of bay leaves. The medium-bodied palate has a firm backbone of rounded tannins and plenty of freshness to support the generous, mature fruit, finishing long and spicy.

Delivers a gorgeous display of fruit, with boysenberry, raspberry and blackberry coulis notes that are fresh and racy, allied to a graphite spine and framed judiciously with a well-singed apple wood accent. This has a lot of coiled-up energy. Best from 2022 through 2035. 2,000 cases made.

Luscious blue and black fruits on the nose, layered through with liqourice and toasted almond, along with creme patisserie giving that Thunevin gourmet twist. At the 10 years on point, the finesse of clay limestone soils are starting to come through, giving the promise of slow, steady ageing, with the patina of smooth tannins one decade on. Good quality.

Having tasted the 2014 Valandraud blind as part of a complete vertical in December, you may ask what is the point in revisiting it a manner of weeks afterwards? Well, Jean-Luc submitted three or four bottles to subsequent tastings, so I feel that I should honor his participation by saying that these vindicated the showing back in December. There remains that exuberance on the nose with layers of blackberry and blueberry, the palate still sumptuous and stocked, full of dense black cherry and cassis fruit. It could have been pushed too far, but it pulls everything back on the finish to retain the detail and freshness you expect. Tasted February 2017. - Neal Martin

The 2014 Valandraud has been a little inconsistent bottle-to-bottle in recent years. Darker fruit than its peers, the new oak is nicely integrated. Touches of mint and undergrowth seep through with aeration. There's a bit of chutzpah. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins that lend this Saint-Émilion a fleshier, more corpulent mouthfeel. Moving into secondary flavors, it offers white pepper and graphite notes, slightly ferrous and Pomerol-like toward the finish, where I discern just a little dryness that comes with maturity (this austerity seemed accentuated at the subsequent Southwold tasting where it was served blind). This is a Right Bank that feels more evolved vis-à-vis six years ago, and I temper my score accordingly. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting. -- Neal Martin