Château Valandraud Explained

44.8878°N -0.0855°W

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 0.6ha 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, .[10] [11]

Production

The vineyard area currently extends 4.5ha, 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]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mustacich. Suzanne. St.-Emilion Issues a Surprising New Classification. Wine spectator. 9 September 2012.
  2. Web site: Arnold . Eric, Wine Spectator . Château Valandraud Tries to Take Kosher Wine to New Heights . 2006-04-10 .
  3. winepros.com.au. Web site: The Oxford Companion to Wine. microchateau. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080809093343/http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=2009. 2008-08-09.
  4. Web site: Robinson . Jancis, jancisrobinson.com . Bordeaux 2003 - such mixed fortunes . 2004-04-10 . 2008-03-10 . 2005-01-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050103121243/http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/winenews0410 . dead .
  5. Web site: Kissack . Chris, thewinedoctor.com. Four from Jean-Luc Thunevin .
  6. Web site: Kissack . Chris, thewinedoctor.com. Chateau Lezongars.
  7. Web site: Jefford. Andrew, Waitrose Food Illustrated. Garage Guidance. November 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080709002250/http://www.waitrose.com/drink/wine/winearticles/2007/November/The_Corker_Andrew_Jefford.aspx. 2008-07-09.
  8. Web site: Thunevin . Jean-Luc, Jean-Luc Thunevin's Blog . Transparency . 2008-05-01 .
  9. Web site: Robinson . Jancis, jancisrobinson.com . Bordeaux 2000 - tasting notes . 2001-04-05 . 2008-04-09 . 2008-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080324075043/http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/jr7131 . dead .
  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. Book: Parker, Robert M. Jr . Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide . registration . Simon & Schuster . New York . 382–383 . 2003 . 978-0-7432-2931-9 .