VALANDRAUD [ST EMILION] 2009 750ML

There’s richness and decadence to this red with currant, chocolate and walnut. Full-bodied with linear tannins and a long, fresh finish. Racy, energetic and focused at the end. Drink or hold.

Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Valandraud is truly strutting its stuff right now with a bold, flamboyant nose of Black Forest cake, molten licorice, blackberry preserves and baked plums plus touches of kirsch, candied violets, star anise, unsmoked cigars, incense and a compelling waft of smoked meats. Full-bodied, the palate is a pedal-to-the-metal, fruit-n-spice blockbuster with a full-on sexy texture of beautifully plush, rounded tannins and tons of freshness to lift the very long, very perfumed finish.

Showing beautifully, the 2009 Château Valandraud has shed considerable baby fat and reveals an incredibly classic, balanced, nuanced style today. Textbook notes of blackcurrants, white truffle, lead pencil, balsam wood, and hints of chocolate emerge from the glass. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated Saint-Emilion with a layered, multi-dimensional texture, sweet tannins, and just a sexy, opulent, undeniably delicious style that's a joy to drink. It's rock star stuff today yet has another 10-15 years of prime drinking, after which I suspect a gradual decline.

The 2009 Valandraud has a ripe and opulent bouquet with precocious red fruit, fig and rose petals, a little warmth of alcohol blurring the edges and becoming more tarry with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent plush, saturated tannin. This is sleek and modern in style, heady and concentrated with a decadent finish. It conveys a sense of purity.

Racy and beautifully defined, with a sleek graphite frame to the mouthwatering loganberry, blackberry and linzer torte flavors. Shows lots of toasted spice on the finish, but is well-integrated, with a gorgeous mouthfeel. This has ample fruit, but remains very suave.