Virginie de Valandraud 2021

Fresh and silky in feel, with pure cassis and black cherry notes inlaid with light anise and apple wood accents. Reveals a touch of smoldering tobacco on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2028. 3,300 cases made, 200 cases imported.

Succulent and juicy straight away, a rush of bright strawberry and raspberry tones with freshness but also quite a herbal edge — a liquorice tang, black pepper and toasted wood spice gently giving some heat towards the finish. This has lovely clarity, it’s lightly framed and a little shy in terms of overt weight on the mid-palate, but the overall flavour is plentiful and this will be easy to drink and enjoy.

This has a fragrant nose of chocolate, roasted herbs, walnuts, dried flowers and dark plum fruit. Medium-bodied and polished, with berry-soaked tannins and excellent depth. Delicious already, but better after 2024.

The 2021 Virginie de Valandraud has a well-defined bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit and sandalwood, damp loamy scents emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with finely knit tannins, quite harmonious with a surprisingly elegant and pure finish. This delicious Saint-Émilion will drink well for 15 years or more.

A bit oaky at the moment, the wine needs some time to better integrate, allowing you to get all the sweet, ripe, dark cherries, plums, flowers, licorice, and chocolate on the nose and palate that the wine offers. The finish is all about its lush, creamy essences of black cherries and plums. Drink from 2024–2033.

The second wine of Château Valandraud, the 2021 Virginie De Valandraud, is worth seeking out. Ripe red and black fruits, violets, flowers, and a hint of new leather define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, with a pure, elegant mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity, and supple tannins. It's an outstanding 2021 to drink over the coming decade or so.

Ruby red, sappy smoked cherry and clove spice, retains the austerity that was clear En Primeur, with lean blue and black fruit giving less estate signature than usual, but there is an attractive juiciness, and mouthwatering finish. Harvest October 3 to 14, 3.6ph, 100% new oak.

The 2021 Virginie de Valandraud is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It springs from the glass with lively black raspberry and mulberry scents, followed by hints of cardamom and star anise. The medium-bodied palate is plush and refreshing, with vibrant red and black fruits and a zippy finish.

On the nose, toasted, woody notes dominate at first, but bright fruit then takes the lead. On the palate, it’s rich and sumptuous, with full, concentrated fruit and a woody opulence.

Virginie de Valandraud reveals itself with finesse while highlighting its complexity and subtlety. Nuances of elderberry and blackberry are interwoven with delicate woody and spicy notes. Slightly creamy yet slender, the wine benefits from a refreshing acidic structure and compact tannins. It can certainly be enjoyed in its youth, but its ageing potential is quite respectable.

The nose is elegant and precise, offering fine linearity, refined intensity, and power. It reveals notes of morello cherry/almost roasted cherry, pulpy raspberry, and, more lightly, crushed red berries, joined by subtle hints of cornflower, camphor, and a delicate, almost peppery touch. The palate is fruity and refined, delivering juiciness, freshness, lovely definition, a zesty backbone, minerality, finely tuned tension, delicacy, well-judged noble bitterness, and sapidity. On the palate, this wine shows notes of pulpy/juicy cherry, vibrant/juicy blue fruits, and, more lightly, raspberry, combined with accents of racy minerality, hints of camphor, fresh bergamot, fine hints of fresh flowers, a touch of fresh pepper, and a subtle note of vanilla/toast. Good length.

Beautiful dark, purple color. Intense nose with ripe fruit. Fleshy palate with a graceful flow, developing powerfully and sappy on the finish. Long and very good.