(96-98 points) Flowers, black raspberries, licorice, smoke, espresso, black cherries, and chocolate aromas create the complex aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is supple, creamy, and more importantly, energetic, with freshness, and elegant, creamy tannins. Long, intense, and concentrated, yet, light on its feet, the lingering finish keeps on going with its layers of ripe, sweet, fruits, salty chocolate, and espresso notes. Blending 84% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% ABV, 3.5 pH. Harvesting took place September 21 - October 15. Drink from 2029-2055. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=2023%20Valandraud

As always, Valandraud is defined by its concentration, opulence and depth, and 2023 is no exception. Expect masses of ripe but fresh blackberries, licorice, dark chocolate, hazelnuts and some pepper. Structured and full-bodied, with tight, fine-grained tannins and a juicy, intense finish. Glossy and layered, with voluptuous fruit. Modern and extremely long, lasting more than a minute. Big but not heavy. Drink from 2027. Zekun Shuai Senior Editor

With roughly 2,800 cases produced, the 2023 Château Valandraud is based on 85% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged 20 months in 100% new French oak. This beautiful, layered, seamless effort from Thunevin can easily be put up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and it offers classic cassis, liquid violets, graphite, and chocolate-driven aromatics. Concentrated and full-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, layered mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It needs air to show at its best and is a gorgeous effort that will gain volume over the coming 3-5 years and keep for 25-30 years. Drink 2028-2053. - Jeb Dunnuck

(TWI 94-96+ points) 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%. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2023 Valandraud is such an elegant wine. Soft, supple contours envelop a core of dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, new leather and licorice. Readers will find an incredibly finessed Valandraud-a wine that is more finesse than power. I can't wait to see how it ages. - Antonio Galloni

Inky depths to Valandraud in this vintage, well constructed, intense sweet liqourice and black chocolate, starts out threatening a more old school feel for this wine, with crème de cassis dominant and high alcohols, but it is given focus and lift as it moves through the palate, with lilting aromatics of red roses, welcome pumice stone tannins, squid ink salinity, and mouthwatering freshness. Skilful, confident, impressive. 100% new oak for ageing, Jean-Luc Thunevin owner at this 10.7ha estate (currently replanting several plots, so 6.6ha in production). 40hl/ha yield.

The best barrel sample that I have tasted from this estate in a long time, as it reflects not only the dark ripe fruit one expects, but also an extra dimension of freshness, with blood red orange lift on the finish. Let's not get ahead of ourselves: the attack (with similar aromas) reflects beguiling blackberry liqueur and cassis creaminess, along with red liquorice and iodine freshness. I still get oak stave aspects from the 100% new oak (which begs some caution, given the 15% alcohol), but superb mid-palate depth combined with that fine finish augurs well for the future. Strong potential for a higher score after bottling.