Château Valandraud
About Château Valandraud
The current succession of exceptional wines produced by this Premier Grand Cru Classé B is the result of something of a career pivot. Owner Jean-Luc Thunevin was a highly successful négociant in the most important fine wine region on Earth until 1989, when he purchased a small 0.6-hectare plot of land close to Château Pavie Macquin with his wife Murielle Andraud. This was followed by another 1.6-hectare plot further East to forge Château Valandraud - a contraction of “Val”, from Vallon de Fongaban where the vines are planted, and of course Murielle’s surname “Andraud”.
Valandraud is an estate that has had to work very hard indeed for its fabulous success. With almost no capital to spend on facilities in the early vintages, Murielle crafted barely 100 cases of wine from their 2.2 hectares in a borrowed garage – this was the original “garagiste” wine!
Things have changed dramatically over the past decades, and Château Valandraud has expanded in both its vineyard holdings and winemaking facilities. Today, 9 hectares are planted with 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. With no imperious castle designating their base of operations on their behalf, Jean-Luc and Murielle were free to purchase only the best, wherever that may have been dotted across the appellation. As a result, the estate encompasses a huge variety of Right-Bank terroirs, from thick clay to hard limestone.
Branded by the powers that be in the 1990s as something of an enfant terrible, Jean-Luc retains an air of rebellion that pervades the style of his and his wife’s wines to this day. Rallying against the monolithic, austere wines of Bordeaux which, one assumes, he had himself been finding hard to sell as a négociant, from the very first vintage it was clear that Valandraud would be in the vanguard of fresher, riper and more approachable Bordeaux full of life and character. As certain as night follows day, style changes and this deeply concentrated yet the generous style is the norm and Valandraud has ascended to its rightful place in the official St-Émilion classification system.
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Bordeaux | 2 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,823.09 |
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Wine Advocate (97)Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Valandraud is truly strutting its stuff right now with a bold, flamboyant nose of Black Forest cake, molten licorice, blackberry preserves and baked plums plus touches of kirsch, candied violets, star anise, unsmoked cigars, incense and a compelling waft of smoked meats. Full-bodied, the palate is a pedal-to-the-metal, fruit-n-spice blockbuster with a full-on sexy texture of beautifully plush, rounded tannins and tons of freshness to lift the very long, very perfumed finish. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 99 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£1,618.18 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (99)A wine that will be a candidate for perfection at maturity, the 2015 Valandraud is a heavenly wine that exhibits a deep, saturated ruby/purple color as well as a sensational bouquet of blackcurrants, cassis, crème caramel, graphite, and chocolate. This full-bodied, expansive, super concentrated 2015 is a hedonistic dream and has exceptional purity, balance, and equilibrium. While it offers pleasure today, it needs short-term cellaring and will keep for 20+ years. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 99 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£658.66 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (99)The local bad boy of Bordeaux, Jean-Luc Thunevin, continues to fashion truly brilliant wines, and his 2019 is no exception. Based largely on Merlot with small amount of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Château Valandraud is a deep purple-hued beauty offering up a kaleidoscope-like bouquet of black and blue fruits, scorched earth, chocolate, gravelly earth, spicy oak, and sappy flowers. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and wonderfully concentrated, it has insane purity of fruit, brilliant tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and just has everything in the right places. It's up with the top wines of the vintage and a tour de force that readers should snatch up. It shows a very different style than the sexier 2018, but it's every bit as good. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for 2-3 decades. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (VN (AG)) |
Inc. VAT
£246.29 |
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Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)The 2018 Virginie de Valandraud is superb. Silky, pliant and expressive, the 2018 is wonderfully caressing right out of the gate. Crushed red berry fruit, mocha, spice and new leather all meld together effortlessly. From bottle, the 2018 is more refined and delicate than it was from barrel, and every bit as compelling. The Virginie is made from a collection of unclassed parcels around Valandraud and on the plains below the core holdings. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£242.44 |
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James Suckling (94)Blackberry, chocolate and hazelnut character on the nose, following through nicely to a medium body with integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Tight at the end, suggesting more to come with bottle age. Hints of mushrooms and earth. Second wine of Valandraud. Hint of wood at the end that will dissipate with age. Drink after 2024. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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|
Bordeaux | 2 | 97 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,500.00 |
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Wine Advocate (97)Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Valandraud is truly strutting its stuff right now with a bold, flamboyant nose of Black Forest cake, molten licorice, blackberry preserves and baked plums plus touches of kirsch, candied violets, star anise, unsmoked cigars, incense and a compelling waft of smoked meats. Full-bodied, the palate is a pedal-to-the-metal, fruit-n-spice blockbuster with a full-on sexy texture of beautifully plush, rounded tannins and tons of freshness to lift the very long, very perfumed finish. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 99 (JD) |
In Bond
£1,310.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)A wine that will be a candidate for perfection at maturity, the 2015 Valandraud is a heavenly wine that exhibits a deep, saturated ruby/purple color as well as a sensational bouquet of blackcurrants, cassis, crème caramel, graphite, and chocolate. This full-bodied, expansive, super concentrated 2015 is a hedonistic dream and has exceptional purity, balance, and equilibrium. While it offers pleasure today, it needs short-term cellaring and will keep for 20+ years. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 99 (JD) |
In Bond
£529.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)The local bad boy of Bordeaux, Jean-Luc Thunevin, continues to fashion truly brilliant wines, and his 2019 is no exception. Based largely on Merlot with small amount of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Château Valandraud is a deep purple-hued beauty offering up a kaleidoscope-like bouquet of black and blue fruits, scorched earth, chocolate, gravelly earth, spicy oak, and sappy flowers. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and wonderfully concentrated, it has insane purity of fruit, brilliant tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and just has everything in the right places. It's up with the top wines of the vintage and a tour de force that readers should snatch up. It shows a very different style than the sexier 2018, but it's every bit as good. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for 2-3 decades. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (VN (AG)) |
In Bond
£186.00 |
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Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)The 2018 Virginie de Valandraud is superb. Silky, pliant and expressive, the 2018 is wonderfully caressing right out of the gate. Crushed red berry fruit, mocha, spice and new leather all meld together effortlessly. From bottle, the 2018 is more refined and delicate than it was from barrel, and every bit as compelling. The Virginie is made from a collection of unclassed parcels around Valandraud and on the plains below the core holdings. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (JS) |
In Bond
£186.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (94)Blackberry, chocolate and hazelnut character on the nose, following through nicely to a medium body with integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Tight at the end, suggesting more to come with bottle age. Hints of mushrooms and earth. Second wine of Valandraud. Hint of wood at the end that will dissipate with age. Drink after 2024. |