This is beautiful, with gorgeous linzer torte, blackberry confiture and anise notes gliding along, infused with black tea, singed spice and perfectly integrated apple wood notes. The long, suave finish drips with fruit. A great showing. —J.M.

Now sporting its Premier Grand Cru Classe strip, the 2012 has a very controlled, focused bouquet with pure blackcurrant, cassis and boysenberry aromas that are well defined, perhaps less opulent than recent vintages. The palate is ripe and generous on the entry. The tannins gently grip the mouth and it rises to a suave, vanillary finish with plenty of ripe red berry fruit that will absorb the oak during its élevage. Sublime. Tasted April 2013.

(100% merlot): Opaque, fully saturated, practically impenetrable inky-ruby; this may be the darkest wine of the vintage. Deep, brooding aromas of dark berries and cherry are complicated by herbs, graphite and licorice. Chewy, rich flavors of cassis, plum, flint and herbs. The extremely long finish coats the palate with youthfully chewy yet noble tannins. Great stuff. It may surprise some that Valandraud this year is 100% merlot, but insiders know that the 2007 version was also made entirely from merlot. Thunevin didn't feel that the cabernet franc was ripe enough to go into his top wine in 2012, so he put it all into the Virginie de Valandraud--which is actually a fairly remarkable wine too, so his cabernet franc couldn't have been that bad. This is one of my favorite wines of the vintage.

A dense wine for the vintage with layers of fruit and tannins. Full body, with velvety tannins and a juicy finish. Ripe and pretty.

The flagship wine from Jean-Luc Thunevin and his partner, Murielle, the 2012 Valandraud is a classic St.-Emilion. Its opaque ruby/purple color is accompanied by notes of camphor, charcoal, black currants, black raspberries, chocolate and espresso. The oak, acidity and ripe tannin are all well-integrated. Another over-performer from this couple, it should drink nicely for 12-15 years.

[100M] Densely fruity, a marked acidity, fine firm, oak dry tannin; an easy, supple, flowing core of very ripe fruit, vivid, long and close grained to taste within the firm tannin and vital acidity, long and licorice spicy to finish; a fine, muscularly chewy, long term St Emilion, if not really the image of the year. 2024-35+ [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2013]

Drink 2017-2032 Fabulous colour of elderberry juice. Restrained but hints at classy fruit. Juicy and dense and yet so fluid. One of the best Valandrauds I have tasted. Firm, dense and yet light on its feet. Fabulous and very long and so much to come. (JH)