Doug Powers

9.0

Lovely rose of Mourvedre, good weight and length, should age further. — 19 days ago

with Jim

Bruce Dunbar

9.0

Notes on four bottles over the four years since release (2023-26) show a wine that maintained character and freshness one might not associated with ‘aged’ rosé. Early on, it leaned into grapefruit, rose, and minerality and more recently, while it held onto a nearly effervescent acidity and very floral nose, showed some herbaceousness (or ‘the whole flower garden’ in my notes) and a Concord grape element. Always lovely with food and a great value. — 2 months ago

Doug Powers

9.4

This old vine Mourvedre is from the Bedrock vineyard (same source as the Carignan we’re also having tonight), and is an ode to Lucien Peyraud of Domaine Tempter in Bandol, dark color, aromas and flavors are a bit wilder than the Carignan, incredibly youthful and this also needs further cellaring, long, lingering finish, fruit is less “sweet” and more structured than the Carignan, but super intense, lovely! — 4 months ago

with Jim

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.4

The 2005 Palmer, picked from September 9 to October 10, remains deep in color. It has a lovely, intense bouquet with blackcurrant pastilles, raspberry, violet and juniper. It blossoms in the glass, gaining vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, structured and dense, strangely Pomerol-like in style, with touches of black pepper and truffle furnishing the finish. Robust and muscular, it lacks a bit of flair and precision (like many wines of this vintage). I would afford this another couple of years in the cellar. Tasted at the Palmer vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2023)
— 3 years ago

E & K G

9.0

Felt pretty tannic with a lot of structure for this wine. Probably needs a couple more years to really show itself. — 6 years ago

Loren Loftesnes

9.1

I love this stuff on a nice summer day! — 6 years ago

Michelle Connely

9.2

To me, this was better after it was open for a couple of hours.. It has Rich aromas and intense flavors. — 7 years ago

Rick Phillips

9.7

Just peaking in my estimation. May sill have a couple or three years before its decline starts. Opened and sat in the bottle for 2 hours. Poured a glass which sat another hour. Bold forward fruits. Blackberry, Plums, Black Cherry, hints of spice herbs that quickly fade into a smooth, luxurious taste of velvety tannins. Backend is just as the Front, Luxurious Bold Fruit but just a touch of old earth, lite tobacco and chocolate/cherry. — 4 days ago

with Letha

Jay Kline

9.2

Opened about two hours prior to service; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 1985 pours a deep garnet color with an orange rim and a slightly hazy, near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of dried, desiccated blackberries, pipe tobacco, leather, organic earth and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. A lovely, mature wine that should be enjoyed over the next several years. Drink now through 2030. — 2 months ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.9

This is one of the sexiest thing you can ever taste in your glass.
So fresh and young. The alcohol and the concentration are super integrated, making it so drinkable and extremely pleasant. Would love@to try this in 20+ year from now. — 2 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.3

Needed a couple hours of air to come together and best the next day… red cherries and leather, dusty tannin, med + acid, long. A classic for a reason 😋 — 5 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

As the summer is slipping out of our hands, its time to to pop those complex reds that we’ve been lastning for. Produttori del Barbaresco is considered one of the best cooperatives in the world and its 2016 Barbaresco is a solid proof of that statement.
Restrained at first and needs a couple of hours in the decanter to reach its climax. True to its provenance its clasically crafted, and puts up complex profile of red cherries, rose hip, strawberries, spice, bitter orange and a volatile dried floral lift over a canvas of wet soil.
An offensive approach on the palate with a high acidity and a generous portion of mouth coating tannins that is well accompanied by a pronounced fruit profile with an evolving finish. Very good indeed, but is a couple of level behind to reach the higher tiers. — 6 years ago

Mr M

8.9

It still has some time on it, maybe a couple more years would do good. — 6 years ago

E & K G

9.4

Benefitted from a quick decant to get the bottle to soften up a bit. I’ve only had a couple of Latours before, but every time the word “balance “ is the first thing that comes to mind. Fruit, tannin, acidity, structure... all there. It goes down almost too easily. — 7 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Dark ruby in color.

Full bodied and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and complex.

Long finish with fine grained tannins.

This is a very young Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.
Rich and fruit forward. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after a couple of hours of airtime.

Not the best vintage, but delicious nonetheless. Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

Robert Parker 91 points.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged for 21 months in (75% new) French oak barrels.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$135. — 8 days ago

Some Dude

9.2

What a treat to serve this with a couple of steaks fresh off the grill and a chipotle-flavored tomato bread salad. This wine elevated the meal and delighted our guests! — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple hour. The 2009 pours a deep, slightly dull ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with beguiling notes of strawberry, raspberry, dried red flowers, sous bois, mushroom, licorice, dried green herbs, and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Despite the power of the vintage, this is impressively balanced and only seemed to gain energy as time went on. Drink now with patience through 2059. — 6 months ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.5

A steal on auction
I wouldn’t consider it a 🥩 wine but great with charcuterie
Web info
Chateau Valandraud is represented by the passion of a couple: Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud. Following the great success with the wine merchant business in Saint Emilion, they opened their own vineyard to produce their own wine.
In 1989, they bought a small parcel of 0.6 hectare (1.48 acres) located in a small valley near Saint Emilion between Pavie-Macquin and La Clotte. The origin of the wine name is as much geographic (Val: Vallon de Fongaban), as sentimental (Andraud: Murielle’s maiden name). Thus Chateau Valandraud was born.
Little by little, Jean-Luc and his wife purchased several other parcels of vines, and now, the domain represents a total surface of 10 hectares (24.71 acres), located in various areas of Saint Emilion. The diversity of soils and varietals permit the production of 6 different wines: Chateau Valandraud, Chateau Valandraud Casher, Virginie de Valandraud and the 3 de Valandraud (the second wine of Chateau Valandraud and Virginie de Valandraud), Blanc de Valandraud N° 1 and N° 2.
The final blending of the various parcels occurs in the month of March, following a blind tasting with the help of the world famous oenologist, Michel Rolland. — 3 years ago

Nathan Renfro

9.4

Difficult on the nose. Definitely smell the higher alcohol. BlackBerry, vanilla on the nose. Decanted an hour, starting to open up. High acidity and tannins with not too juicy fruit. Tasting very nice but still a little young. Look forward to having this in another couple years. — 6 years ago

Eric

9.5

Been working on this bottle over the last couple of months via Coravin and finishing it off tonight. The most opulent, ripe, and jammy Dunn I’ve ever had. Very different from other vintages. — 7 years ago