97-
98
JAMES SUCKLING: "Wow, this is really something. Very fruity, with dark blackberries and blueberries, as well as blood oranges. It’s full and layered with great depth of fruit and chewy, polished tannins. Turns lightly salty at the end. Power with precision. 84% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon."
94-
96+
LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2023 Valandraud has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs some patient swirling to bring out fragrant notes of star anise, Indian spices, cedar chest, and fragrant soil, giving way to a core of plum preserves and blackberry pie. Full-bodied, concentrated, and built like a brick house, it has firm, chewy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing very long and opulent. This will take some time to come around, yet should be a very long-lived Valandraud! The blend is 84% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon with a pH of 3.5. It is aging in 100% new oak barrels. The alcohol is 15%."
93
FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, tiefer Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Dunkle Waldbeeren, Lakritze, schwarze Kirschen, feine Kräuterwürze und Edelholz. Sehr kraftvoll, nach Nugat und Nussöl, reife Tannine, schokoladig, opulenter Stil, feine Süße im Abgang, eindrucksvoll, aber nicht elegant, etwas Bitterschokolade im Abgang."
