Wine Advisor
Valandraud 1995
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Thick dark inky ruby colour. Nose is tight, dark chocolate and herbs. Medium bodied, very rich, quite opulent. Dense broody wine. A masculine style of wine and demanding long maturation: 10+ years. Very fine though not worth the stratospheric prices.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This splendid Valandraud ranks with the finest wines proprietor Jean-Luc Thunevin has produced since his debut 1991 vintage. The wine exhibits an opaque purple color, and a sensational nose of roasted herbs, black fruits (cherries, currants, and blackberries), and high class toasty oak (the latter component is more of a nuance than a dominant characteristic). Very concentrated, with layers of fruit, glycerin, and extract, yet seamlessly constructed, this wine contains the stuff of greatness, and appears to be the finest Valandraud yet produced. The finish lasts for over 30 seconds. The wine's high tannin is barely noticeable because of the ripeness and richness of fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Valandraud is one of the most interesting stories in Bordeaux. The wine is made from an unheralded terroir owned by the young, obsessive/compulsive, exuberantly passionate Monsieur Thunevin. He produces a Bordeaux from tiny yields and ripe fruit, ages it in 100% new oak, and refuses to fine or filter prior to bottling. Sadly, Valandraud has become the darling of speculators, largely because of (1) its fabulous quality, and (2) its limited production. There were only 4,200 bottles produced in 1993, 8,998 in 1994, and 11,400 in 1995. It is easy to criticize the outrageous prices this wine fetches, but lunatic speculators aside, Valandraud symbolizes what can be done in Bordeaux when the limits of quality are pushed to the maximum, and the advice of most oenologists (who for nearly three decades have encouraged too much fining and filtering) is ignored. The only question I have concerning Valandraud is: will this wine, when fully mature, live up to its extraordinary promise? The 1995 Valandraud appears to be an awesome example of this vintage. It has evolved splendidly and filled out since I tasted it in 1996. Now revealing sweeter tannin, better integration of new oak, and masses of hugely-extracted, ripe black-cherry and cassis fruit, this massive yet well-focused and delineated wine cascades over the palate with no hard edges. Crammed with fruit, glycerin, and sweet tannin, this black beauty will be more approachable than the harder 1994. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2030.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 1995 Valandraud has a forward, fruit-driven, hedonistic bouquet with copious scents of kirsch, red plum, orange peel and blueberry with a smudge of alcohol just blurring the lines. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded and supple red fruit, nicely balanced and demonstrating more precision than the aromatics, finally reining in everything. The finish is clean and focused, quite powerful and with very good persistence, that edginess just beckoning you back for another sip. This has long been an excellent Valandraud from Jean-Luc and it will easily offer another 10-15 years of drinking pleasure. While the previous three vintages of Valandraud all punched above their weight, the 1995 is clearly a step up in quality. Tasted December 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1995 Valandraud appears to be an awesome example of this vintage. It has evolved splendidly and filled out since I tasted it in 1996. Now revealing sweeter tannin, better integration of new oak, and masses of hugely-extracted, ripe black-cherry and cassis fruit, this massive yet well-focused and delineated wine cascades over the palate with no hard edges. Crammed with fruit, glycerin, and sweet tannin, this black beauty will be more approachable than the harder 1994. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2030. Last tasted 11/97
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Readers will no doubt argue over which of the 1994 and 1995 vintages is superior. The 1994 appears to possess more focus and tannin. The 1995 looks to be sweeter, riper, and more ostentatious. Both wines are extremely rich and concentrated. They can be drunk when released or cellared for 10-15 years. This explosively rich wine is the product of an intensely dedicated young man, Jean-Luc Thunevin, who is intent on making compelling wines. The first vintages have all been promising, with the 1994 and 1995 the finest wines Thunevin yet produced. Made primarily from tiny yields (mostly Merlot), vinified in cask (100% are new), and bottled naturally with no filtration, Valandraud is the Le Pin of St.-Emilion. Lavishly rich, oaky, and perfumed, these voluptuously-textured, full-bodied wines are loaded with ripe, jammy fruit. Who would not be seduced or impressed by this up and coming star of Bordeaux? All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Saturated deep ruby color. Superripe, highly nuanced nose combines sexy, spicy oak, animal fur, toffee, gunflint, violets and chocolate. Great richness and ripeness in the mouth; not overly sweet but a flamboyant wine with an extravagantly layered texture. Finishes with a wave of silky tannins and palate-staining spice and toffee flavor. An extraordinary wine-in-the-making.
About the Producer
Chateau Valandraud is located in the Saint-Emilion appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France. It is a famous pioneer winery of Garage Wine in Bordeaux. One of the most expensive wines in the Loh region. The achievements of Château Valenzo are inseparable from a wine-passionate couple, Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud. This well-known couple in the wine world started out selling wine in the Saint-Emilion region. After their business success, they decided to open up a vineyard of their own and make their own wine. So, in 1989, the couple bought a 0.6-hectare vineyard near Chateau Pavie Macquin and Chateau La Clotte in Saint-Emilion. The winery is named after the place name Vallon de Fongaban and the family name of the hostess Andro. In this way, Valanzo Winery was born. After that, Jean-Luc Touven and Muriel Andrew successively bought several other small vineyards. Today, the winery has 8.88 hectares of vineyards. In 1991, Château Valenzo released its first vintage. And just five years later, the 1995 Château Valandraud (Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe, France) was awarded 95 points by Robert Parker, the "Wine Emperor". Since then, its value has soared, becoming one of the most expensive wines in Saint-Emilion. In 2012, Valenzo Winery was ranked Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe B in the latest Saint-Emilion classification results with its outstanding performance. The winery also joined the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux in 2017. Jean-Luc Tournevin was called "Bordeaux's Black Sheep" by Robert Parker, also known as "Saint-Emilion's Bad Boy". However, these seemingly derogatory titles are an affirmation of his pioneering innovation in winemaking. He created a new style of red Bordeaux wine by further compressing the grape yield, delaying the harvest time, increasing the extraction time and using new oak barrels for long aging. And it is this kind of Varanzo that makes the famous wine critic Michel Bettane give the highest evaluation of "love at first sight". The vineyards of Valenzo Winery have a superior terroir. The soil types in the garden are mainly limestone and clay. The red grape planting includes 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec and 1% Carmenere, white grapes are mainly Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Three varieties. To this day, the winery has always adhered to the high requirements for the quality of grapes, and manually screened the wine grapes with extremely strict standards. In terms of brewing, the winery has achieved a combination of tradition and modern technology. Grapes are harvested by hand when they reach their peak ripeness and undergo a first screening in the vineyard, followed by an extremely rigorous secondary screening in the winemaking workshop. The selected grapes undergo alcoholic fermentation in different vessels (stainless steel tanks, concrete tanks and oak barrels), followed by a three-week maceration, during which the skins are manually pressed to fully extract the color, tannins and flavor substances. The wine is then placed in oak barrels for Malolactic Fermentation. Next, the wine will be matured for 18-30 months in 100% new French oak barrels. The winery spends huge sums of money to replace expensive new oak barrels every year. Finally, the wine is bottled without filtration and clarification. Valenzo Winery's authentic wine-Valanzo Winery's red wine is gorgeous in style, rich in aroma, silky tannins, fruity and fresh, rich and complex on the palate, rich in black berries and spices in oak barrels The taste adds a charming roasted aroma and has excellent ageing potential. In addition, the winery also produces a second-brand wine - Virginie de Valandraud, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France, and a third-brand wine - Château Valenzo No. 3 Dry red wines (3 de Valandraud, Saint-Emilion, France) and 2 very good white wines.
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