1995 - de Valandraud, Saint-Emilion

Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 1995 Valandraud has a forward, fruit-driven, hedonistic bouquet with copious scents of kirsch, red plum, orange peel and blueberry with a smudge of alcohol just blurring the lines. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded and supple red fruit, nicely balanced and demonstrating more precision than the aromatics, finally reining in everything. The finish is clean and focused, quite powerful and with very good persistence, that edginess just beckoning you back for another sip. This has long been an excellent Valandraud from Jean-Luc and it will easily offer another 10-15 years of drinking pleasure. While the previous three vintages of Valandraud all punched above their weight, the 1995 is clearly a step up in quality. Tasted December 2016.

Superb, saturated dark ruby color. Knockout aromas of black raspberry, smoked duck and suave, smoky oak. Thick, sweet and velvety in the mouth; the fruit explodes with aeration, saturating those hard-to-reach places in the mouth. Really fabulous sweetness. A slightly roasted note suggests great ripeness (though I recall Thunevin telling me two years ago that this wine could have been even greater had he waited another few days to harvest!). Ultrasuave tannins are buried in a wave of fruit. One of the longest finishes of the vintage. Purists may argue that a wine like this cannot possible match such '95s as Latour or Margaux or Petrus for terroir character or class, but few wines can match the '95 Valandraud for sheer hedonistic pleasure.

This would have been made by Alain Vauthier before he took over Château Ausone, according to one of our number. It would have been a true 'garage wine' back then, before Jean-Luc Thunevin had a château to call his own. Transparent, loose and ready. Sweet and biscuity. Nice now but not for cellaring. (JR)