Wine Advisor
Valandraud 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2014 Valandraud is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc matured in 100% new oak for 24 months. It fulfils the great potential it showed from barrel. It offers plenty of fruit on the nose: blackberry and blueberry, very well defined and precise with neatly integrated oak. The palate has a caressing texture on the entry, great depth and purity with blueberry and black cherry notes, a hint of cassis developing towards the satin-textured, precise and almost crystalline finish. This is a beautifully crafted Saint Emilion destined to give a lot of pleasure over the years. Tasted December 2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château Valandraud 2014 does not mess about on the aromatics. There is no holding back here with its plush blackcurrant pastille and vivacious crème de cassis and violet-scents, but as usual, Jean-Luc Thunévin has retained superb delineation and exquisite purity. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated ripe tannin and a keen line of acidity; a sense of symmetry and precision on the finish. It is modern in style for sure, but there is quality and craftsmanship interwoven into this Saint Emilion. This is as sophisticated as anything you will find on the Right Bank.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2014 Valandraud is laced with dark cherry compote, spice, new leather and chocolate notes. In 2014, Valandraud is marked by a super-appealing combination of intense dark fruit and fresher, more floral-driven nuances that beautifully express the freshness of the year. The 2014 is a wonderfully complete Valandraud to drink over the next 10-15 years, perhaps longer.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Valandraud does not show as well as I expected and so this tasting note originates from another bottle sourced in Bordeaux. This is more representative. All that blackberry and blueberry fruit on the extravagant nose (at least for a 2014) that effortlessly soaks up the new oak. The palate is quite dense and ravishing with pure black cherry and cassis fruit. Sure, it flirts with being a bit overdone but Jean-Luc Thunevin pulls the reins back just when it is needed. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Having tasted the 2014 Valandraud blind as part of a complete vertical in December, you may ask what is the point in revisiting it a manner of weeks afterwards? Well, Jean-Luc submitted three or four bottles to subsequent tastings, so I feel that I should honor his participation by saying that these vindicated the showing back in December. There remains that exuberance on the nose with layers of blackberry and blueberry, the palate still sumptuous and stocked, full of dense black cherry and cassis fruit. It could have been pushed too far, but it pulls everything back on the finish to retain the detail and freshness you expect. Tasted February 2017.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2014 Valandraud has been a little inconsistent bottle-to-bottle in recent years. Darker fruit than its peers, the new oak is nicely integrated. Touches of mint and undergrowth seep through with aeration. There's a bit of chutzpah. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins that lend this Saint-Émilion a fleshier, more corpulent mouthfeel. Moving into secondary flavors, it offers white pepper and graphite notes, slightly ferrous and Pomerol-like toward the finish, where I discern just a little dryness that comes with maturity (this austerity seemed accentuated at the subsequent Southwold tasting where it was served blind). This is a Right Bank that feels more evolved vis-à-vis six years ago, and I temper my score accordingly. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Wow. The blackberry, licorice and blueberry aromas are really spellbinding. Full-bodied, chewy and polished with beautiful fruit. Super depth and richness. Always subtle and polished behind the power. Try in 2023.
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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