Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
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Wine Spectator
Dark ruby color, with intense aroma of dark chocolate, blackberries and vanilla. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, delicious finish. Wonderful now but will improve with age. I have always like this wine. It was the beginning of serious winemaking here.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.