Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: Valandraud has a dazzling, silky character, underscored by surprisingly elegant tannins. Amazing, pure-fruit expression; the wine is long, intense, and absolutely brilliant. We’ve never tasted a better Valandraud. 19

Michael Schuster: Subtle, black-cherry nose; a rich and concentrated wine, but in an effortless way; medium-full, fresh, and very finely tannic; dense in flavor without being in any way thick; warm, glowingly ripe, fragrant, black-cherry sweetness, a lovely ripeness and freshness of fruit at once; long and close-grained, with an almost imperceptible tannin texture and great, gentle tenacity of flavor, filmily mouth-coating, and with a prolonged, perfumed farewell. A beauty in every sense. The fine palate and gentle winemaking hand of Murielle Thunevin are clear here. Accessible early, but so well balanced that it should keep very well. 2016–30. 18/18.5