Valrhona Palmira Venezuelan 2007

From Valrhona comes this bar of Venezuelan Chocolate made with 64% Criollo beans from a small plantation near Lake Maracaibo. I believe it’s the first chocolate I have had which has had a vintage on it rather than a sell by date, and that impression is definitely continued with the label.

It has very light, almost fruit-like top notes with an underlying rich, full cocoa flavour. It isn’t the most complex of chocolates, but what it does have is a full, rich cocoa flavour with creamy mid tones and a berry-like top note with a very pleasing soft mouthfeel. The finish is clean and I could cheerfully have continued ‘tasting’ until the whole bar was done.

Valrhona seem to be raising their profile here in the UK, and with little ‘special’ offerings like this, they would definitely have mine – provided they don’t charge silly money.