Description

Red Wine: 2008 | Chateau Valandraud | Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Round, lush, full bodied and with a depth of flavor, due to the layers of ripe, black cherry, espresso, licorice, smoke, plum, chocolate and earth, the wine is sexy, vibrant and hedonistic.

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Producer: Chateau Valandraud

Ratings: WA | 94 JS | 94

Vintage: 2008

Size: 750ml

ABV: 15%

Varietal: Bordeaux Blend Red

Country/Region: France, Bordeaux

Round, lush, full bodied and with a depth of flavor, due to the layers of ripe, black cherry, espresso, licorice, smoke, plum, chocolate and earth, the wine is sexy, vibrant and hedonistic.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2008 Valandraud is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc matured in new oak for 24 months. It put in a quite brilliant performance (here paired against the 2008 Trotanoy). It has a boisterous, bravura of a nose with outstanding vigor and clarity: red cherries and boysenberry fruit, graphite and traces of wet limestone. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, beautiful pure black cherry and raspberry fruit with a faint touch of orange sorbet. Seamless in texture with a refined and silky smooth finish, this is drinking beautifully now but will clearly age for another two decades. This is outstanding for the vintage.

• James Suckling: This is very focused and precise with chocolate and berry character and juicy fruit. Pure plum and berries on the palate with beautifully integrated tannins. Long finish.

Producer Information

Chteau de Valandraud is a producer in Saint-milion classified as Premier Grand Cru Class B. The Merlot-dominant grand vin is part of a relatively large portfolio which includes a number of red wines made from the classic Bordeaux blend, as well as a couple of white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Smillon. The estate was formed in 1989, when wine merchant Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud (who has been the fulltime winemaker since 2008) bought a 0.6-hectare (1.5-acre) plot of vines near Chteau Pavie Macquin. There are now 10 hectares (25 acres) of vines. Merlot is the predominant variety, followed by Cabernet Franc and small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmenre. The 2ha (5 acres) planted to white varieties are split evenly between Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Gris. Chteau de Valandraud is regarded as one of Bordeaux’s pioneering “garagiste” wines, made in a richer, more international style than many other Bordeaux wines. It has attracted high prices in the region from the very beginning, despite its initial St Emilion Grand Cru status – a rather commonplace designation in this particular region.