Château Valandraud 2011

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2011 Valandraud was the most disappointing of recent vintages, surpassed here by several other wines from equally ‘challenging’ growing seasons. At 30% Cabernet Franc, it has the highest amount of any recent vintages and I wonder if that did not play to Jean-Luc’s strengths? It has quite a high-toned bouquet with bold crème de cassis, boysenberry and briary scents that feel more like a 2009 than 2011. The palate is medium-bodied with an attacking, tannic entry. It feels a little angular in the mouth at the moment; dense black fruit, somehow ‘spiky’ and missing a cohesion. It could be a case of just needing more time to gain cohesion, but there is a bitterness on the finish that just nags away, possibly due to that Cabernet Franc. Tasted December 2016.

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