Virginie de Valandraud 2016 (750ML)

92 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous: "The 2016 Virginie de Valandraud has a well-defined bouquet featuring a mixture of red and black fruit tinged with pressed iris flowers and showing commendable mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and plenty of tarry black fruit tinged with white pepper. The intense but focused finish bodes well for the future. Excellent. " 1/19

93 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous: "The 2016 Virginie de Valandraud is a very serious second wine. Beautifully layered and expressive, the 2016 has so much to offer. Sweet tobacco, licorice, spice and pine give the 2016 lovely aromatic top notes to play off the sumptuous fruit. The 2016 Virginie is just as impressive as it was from barrel, maybe more!" 1/19

94 Points, James Suckling: "This is ripe and attractive with beautiful plum and dark-berry aromas that follow through to a full body, firm and medium, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Also slightly chewy at the end. Needs four to five years to soften. Try after 2023." 2/19

94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck: "Always seen as a second wine, but actually coming from separate terroirs from the grand vin, the 2016 Virginie de Valandraud is a deep, full-bodied, opulent beauty that knocks it out of the park in 2016. It's the equivalent of many a top wine and has huge notes of crème de cassis, black raspberries, spicy oak, and licorice. With ripe tannins, a great texture, and a sexy, pleasure-bent style that's already impossible to resist, drink it over the coming 10-15 years." 2/19