Château Valandraud

Château Valandraud, or Château de Valandraud, is Bordeaux wine producer situated in the Saint-Émilion appellation, promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé in the 2012 Classification of Saint-Emilion wine.[1] The winery is located on the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion.

The winery also produces the second wines, Virginie de Valandraud and 3 de Valandraud, and the Kosher wine Château Valandraud Kosher.[2]

History

In 1989 Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle Andraud bought a 0.6-hectare (1.5-acre) plot in Saint-Émilion near Château Pavie-Macquin. Further plots in the region were acquired over the years, in locations such as Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens and Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, and a former garage to be used as a winery, releasing the first vintage in 1991 of 1,500 bottles priced at €13. Exemplified as a typical "microchâteau",[3] Thunevin is closely associated with the "garagiste" movement, and the wine is described as the pioneer "Vin de garage".[4][5][6] In 1995, Valandraud was given a better rating by Robert Parker than Château Pétrus,[7] and by 1997 the Valandraud bottle price was set at €91. The 2005 vintage was set at €165.[8]

The Thunevins have since taken on several projects, including the first "garage wine"' of Médoc, Marojallia,[9] and acting as négociant distributor for several estates from Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and elsewhere, including Château Ausone, Gracia, Harlan Estate and Dominio de Pingus.

Jean-Luc Thunevin is among the wine personalities satirised next to Robert Parker in the 2010 bande dessinée comic book, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.[10][11]

Production

The vineyard area currently extends 4.5 hectares (11 acres), with the grape varieties composed of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. The annual production of the Grand Vin is typically 15,000 to 20,000 bottles.[8]

Other labels produced include the Virginie de Valandraud, 3 de Valandraud, Château Valandraud Kosher, Blanc de Valandraud N° 1 and N° 2, Bad Boy, and the declassified non-vintage vin de table L’Interdit de V……d which was not allowed by INAO to vintage date the 2000 harvest or be designated as a Saint-Émillion wine.[12]

References
  1. Mustacich, Suzanne. "St.-Emilion Issues a Surprising New Classification". Wine spectator. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  2. Arnold, Eric, Wine Spectator (2006-04-10). "Château Valandraud Tries to Take Kosher Wine to New Heights".
  3. winepros.com.au. The Oxford Companion to Wine. "microchateau". Archived from the original on 2008-08-09.
  4. Robinson, Jancis, jancisrobinson.com (2004-04-10). "Bordeaux 2003 - such mixed fortunes".
  5. Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. "Four from Jean-Luc Thunevin".
  6. Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. "Chateau Lezongars".
  7. Jefford, Andrew, Waitrose Food Illustrated (November 2007). "Garage Guidance". Archived from the original on 2008-07-09.
  8. Thunevin, Jean-Luc, Jean-Luc Thunevin's Blog (2008-05-01). "Transparency".
  9. Robinson, Jancis, jancisrobinson.com (2001-04-05). "Bordeaux 2000 - tasting notes".
  10. Kakaviatos, Panos, Decanter.com (October 12, 2010). Robert Parker 'honoured' by merciless cartoon satire
  11. Thunevin, Jean-Luc, thunevin.blogspot.com (October 11, 2010). Hilarious duo
  12. Parker, Robert M. Jr (2003). Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 382–383. ISBN 978-0-7432-2931-9.
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