Chateau Valandraud - St. Emilion 2020

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Chateau Valandraud Description

Château Valandraud / SAINT-ÉMILION GRAND CRU / PREMIER GRAND CRU CLASSÉ

The culmination of arduous efforts by a couple passionate about fine wine, Murielle Andraud and Jean-Luc Thunevin, Château Valandraud started out with the purchase of a 0.6 hectare plot of vines in a small valley in Saint-Émilion, located between Pavie-Macquin and La Clotte.

Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud gradually acquired several other plots or estates and the château now has a total of 8.88 hectares in Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse in the Saint-Émilion appellation. The combination of traditional winemaking, state-of-the-art techniques, and innovation at every step of the way in each vintage takes place with just one goal in mind: to make the best possible wine.

Jeb Dunnuck: 99 Points

One of the wines of the vintage is Jean-Luc Thunevin's 2020 Château Valandraud, which comes from the cooler, eastern side of Saint-Emilion. Exhibiting a dense purple hue as well as an incredible perfume of crème de cassis, ripe black cherries, violets, new leather, and an almost Hermitage-like burning embers character, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe, seamless tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and a finish that won't quit. A blend of 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it's clearly in the same league as the 2019, if not slightly more concentrated.

James Suckling: 99 Points

Very opulent and expressive aromas of black fruit and pine needles. So floral. Full-bodied with plush, velvety tannins and lots of fruit and texture. It goes on for minutes. Rich at the finish, but remains fresh and vivid. Superb. One of the great Valandrauds.

Wine Enthusiast: 97 Points

This 17-acre vineyard gives a wine with an explosion of black fruits. It offers sweetness balanced by acidity and impressive tannins. The wood aging gives a polished texture with richness and style in balance.

Decanter

This is excellent, broad-shouldered with ample depth to the brambled fruits, liquorice, cigar box spice, with a gorgeously saline finish. Chalky, grippy tannins keep tugging you back into the body of the wine. The tannic grip is helped by a linen rather than silk texture that stops things being overly smooth and instead adds depth and interest to the powerfully knitted body, as do white flowers on the aromatics as it opens. Good stuff. 100% new oak for 24 months. A yield of 49hl/ha. Thunevin has sold a 50% stake in Valandraud to the Lefevre family at Sansonnet (also the new owners of Villemaurine, so a busy year for them)