Wine Advisor
Valandraud 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Jean-Luc Thunevin’s blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc spent 25 months in barrel prior to being bottled. The color is a saturated dense purple and the expressive aromatics include sweet mulberries, black cherries, cassis, spring flowers, chocolate and background oak. Opulent and full-bodied, this stunning, seamless classic is a fabulous example of the talents of Thunevin and his partner, Murielle Andraud. This 2011 can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years. Kudos!
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Grand Vin was picked between 5th and 10th October and delivers around 14.5% alcohol, whilst the malolactics had finished just two weeks prior to my tasting in early April. I will cut to the chase, because yet again (whisper is quietly) I prefer the bouquet on the Virginie. It has a very ripe creme de cassis, blueberry scented bouquet, which has a touch of warmth to it. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe cassis and spice on the entry. The texture is soft and velvety with a cashmere finish, which I prefer to the nose. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2011 Valandraud was the most disappointing of recent vintages, surpassed here by several other wines from equally "challenging" growing seasons. At 30% Cabernet Franc, it has the highest amount of any recent vintages and I wonder if that did not play to Jean-Luc's strengths? It has quite a high-toned bouquet with bold crème de cassis, boysenberry and briary scents that feel more like a 2009 than 2011. The palate is medium-bodied with an attacking, tannic entry. It feels a little angular in the mouth at the moment: dense black fruit, somehow "spiky" and missing a cohesion. It could be a case of just needing more time to gain cohesion, but there is a bitterness on the finish that just nags away, possibly due to that Cabernet Franc. Tasted December 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Notes of chocolate, espresso roast, Asian plum sauce, blackberries and toasty oak are found in this opulent, rich, powerful 2011. Jean-Luc Thunevin has done an exemplary job in getting the finest material into this vintage of Valandraud. This full-throttle St.-Emilion should drink well young and last 10-15+ years.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Dark color. Fabulous nose of wet earth, blueberries and mint. Minerals too. Hints of cocoa. Full-bodied, with soft and polished tannins. Very acidity. Long and caressing. Excellent for the vintage.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A big, juicy wine for the vintage with lots of fruit and new wood. Full-bodied, chewy and intense. Needs time to soften and come together. Try in 2016.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is very velvety with berry, walnut, chocolate and light coffee character. It’s medium-bodied with layers of tannins. Open-meshed. Velvety texture. Fresh for the year. Lovely now. Drink now.
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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