Château Valandraud St Emilion Grand Cru 2009

Closed down on the nose, intense and concentrated, cocoa bean, loganberry, damson, cigar box, orange peel, gunsmoke, with a wall of grilled sandalwood and bitter chocolate. It’s a wine that I have struggled to fully get on board with, and still for me needs longer to really open up. It has been called ‘Rubanesque’ and I can see why – I am a real fan of Valandraud in recent vintages, and although some tasters will disagree with me, in these years they were still pressing too hard on the pedal. 100% new oak for ageing.