Wine Advisor
Valandraud 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby. Perfumed aromas of blackberry, minerals, flowers and fruity pepper. Plush and silky on entry, then savory and primary in the middle, with youthful, slightly inky flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate, espresso and violet. As young as this is, it's already quite pliant and refined. Finishes with very suave tannins and lovely subtle persistence. Distinctly higher-pitched than Jean-Luc Thunevin's Virginie de Valandraud, and seemingly much more influenced by calcaire
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(70% merlot, 25% cabernet, and 2.5% each malbec and cabernet sauvignon) Medium bright ruby. Cool, slightly grapey aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate, violet and chalk. Juicy, minerally and penetrating; suave but not fleshy. This has a lower pH than most past vintages and comes across as taut and refined in the way of a moderately ripe Burgundy, with energy from limestone, a peppery note and lively acidity. Not a sex bomb, notes Thunevin, who is very aware that he has crafted a more serious style of wine. Thunevin concentrated the must by means of a 15% saignee
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The structured, pure, focused 2006 Valandraud offers hints of white chocolate, coffee beans, black currants, cherries, and underlying camphor as well as earth. Outstanding ripeness, medium body, and a highly structured, tannic style is broodingly backward at present. It tasted as if malolactic had only recently been completed, so I suspect it will put on weight and perform even better in 3-6 months. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. Hmm…this Valandraud has lost a little vigour since we last met, lacking a little complexity and breeding on the nose: strawberry jam, a touch of loganberry, sandalwood and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied, harmonious and velvety on the entry, quite linear and lacking the complexity I was hoping for. Pretty, but rather insubstantial on the finish, although I think with more time it would have gained more weight and character. I will seek to re-taste this. Tasted January 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Jean-Luc Thunevin’s. A deep purple/ruby colour. The nose is effortlessly pure with great poise: cassis, redcurrants and blueberry with an underlying minerality. Medium-bodied palate that is supple and fleshy with notes of Morello, crushed violets and cranberries. Very pretty and feminine, not as powerful as the 2005, but well-poised and extremely pure and expressive. Tasted April 2007.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted with Jean-Luc Thunevin in Saint Emilion, the 2006 Valandraud is pure Merlot, since he told me that the Cabernet Franc had not ripened sufficiently that year. It offers an attractive, matured bouquet with cough candy and star anise infusing the red berry fruit that is beginning to move into its secondary stage. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly coarse tannin compared to more recent vintages, mulberry and tarry notes with a rather stolid finish that needs a little more finesse to come through. Not bad, though I think Jean-Luc has "honed his craft" since this vintage. Tasted March 2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2006 Valandraud was the first of two vintages that were 100% Merlot (the other being 2007). It was matured in 100% new oak for 21 months. It has a deep garnet core with just a little turbidity. The bouquet is very refined, quite forward for a 2006 with raspberry coulis, crushed strawberry, dried honey and violet scents that unfurl in the glass. That cough candy signature appears only after a few minutes aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe red berry fruit. It is not as concentrated as the 2006 Troplong Mondot poured alongside, but there are plenty of attractive, saline black fruit infused with tobacco and spice box, with just a mellow and harmonious finish. Tasted December 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Notes of graphite, licorice, espresso roast, chocolate, and black currant liqueur jump from the glass of this dense purple-colored wine. Full-bodied, with a layered texture, superb purity, and depth, this is always an over-achieving estate, and obviously the flagship wine of Jean-Luc Thunevin and his partner Murielle. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
En primeur barrel sample. A ripe, sappy nose: Morello, wild strawberry, redcurrant and well integrated creamy oak. Nice and pure. Good lift. The palate is well balanced with good acidity, wild strawberry, red cherry and cranberry, nice focus, linear with good length. A very -correct- Valandraud, perhaps more conservative than usual but certainly well crafted and adorned with silky tannins on the red-berried, cranberry and raspberry-tinged finish. This is a very natural, graceful Valandraud. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Chewy and dusty with lots of cocoa character and milk chocolate with dark fruits. Full and velvety. Lots of fruit but reserved. Better in 2014.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Chewy and dusty with lots of cocoa character and milk chocolate with dark fruits. Full and velvety. Lots of fruit but reserved. Better in 2014.
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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