| Region of Production: | Saint-Émilion AOP |
| Winery Location: | Saint-Émilion |
| Year Established: | 1989 |
| Classification: | Premier Grand Cru Classé B |
Vineyard Holdings
11 ha
- 9 ha red grapes
- 70% Merlot
- 20% Cabernet Franc
- 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 5% other grapes, including Malbec and Carmenère
- 2 ha white grapes
- 50% Sauvignon Blanc
- 35% Sémillon
- 15% Sauvignon Gris
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Château Valandraud, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru: Grand vin. 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (2015 vintage). Fermented in oak, stainless steel, and concrete vats. Aged for 18 to 30 months in 100% new barrels. Inaugural vintage 1991.
- Virginie de Valandraud, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru: Second wine. Fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 18 to 24 months in 100% new barrels. Inaugural vintage 1992.
- 3 de Valandraud, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru: Third wine. Assembled from declassified fruit for Valandraud and Virginie de Valandraud. Fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 18 months in 100% new barrels.
- Valandraud Blanc, Bordeaux Blanc: 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon, 15% Sauvignon Gris. Fermented in both tank and barrel. Aged for 10 to 12 months sur lie in 70% new barrels.
- Virginie de Valandraud Blanc, Bordeaux Blanc: 60% Sémillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Sauvignon Gris. Vinified 40% in stainless steel tanks and 60% in barrel.
Average Total Production
- 400,000 bottles
Summary
Château Valandraud (or de Valandraud) was one of the pioneering wineries in the garagiste movement of the 1990s. The estate was established in 1989, when Jean-Luc Thunevin, an Algerian-born consummate entrepreneur who owned a wine bar, négociant business, and other enterprises, purchased, with his wife Murielle Andraud, a 0.6-hectare property near Pavie Macquin. Thunevin continued to acquire patches of vineyard, and in 1991, he vinified his first vintage of Valandraud in his garage. Valandraud is a portmanteau of Vallon de Fongaban, the location of the vineyard, and Andraud, Murielle’s last name.
Thunevin focused in the vineyard on reducing yields, lending to a hyper-concentrated wine. While he priced his first vintage at 13 euros, his swift success with critics such as Robert Parker – who scored the wines comparably to or higher than established icons of the Right Bank – quickly brought Thunevin and Valandraud global recognition. While Valandraud’s grand vin itself is considered both revolutionary and controversial, criticized for appealing to the American palate of the 1990s, the rest of the portfolio veers even further away from traditionalism. Thunevin decided to plant a vineyard to white grapes in 2000, a Bordeaux style typically reserved for Entre-Deux-Mers and Graves. Furthermore, Thunevin cultivates and vinifies Chardonnay and Syrah in Saint-Émilion for Valandraud’s “Bad Boy” series.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Valandraud is one of the rare Right Bank estates to cultivate all five classic red Bordeaux varieties, although they may not all appear in the top wine. Attention is paid in the vineyard to reduce yields, and fruit is sorted both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Fermentation takes place in a combination of oak, stainless steel, and concrete vats. Thunevin was also one of the first producers to carry out malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine ages anywhere from 18 to 30 months in barriques, always 100% new.
Producer Website: Château Valandraud