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  • Country ranking ?

    473
  • Producer ranking ?

    4
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035
  • Food Pairing

    Beef

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The Story

In 1989, Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud became the proud owners of a small plot of land of 0,6 ha, in the valley of Saint Emilion, between Pavie Macquin and La Clotte. In 1991 they produced and bottled their first vintage. Since then, their estate portfolio has grown with properties in Saint Christophe des Bardes, Saint Sulpice de Faleyrens or Saint Etienne de Lisse.

In the early days, wine critics nicknamed their production « garag...

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Vintage 2016

Bordeaux 2016 in review “A paradox”

by Andrew Caillard MW

The 2016 Bordeaux vintage will be remembered as one of the great years of the 21st century. I haven't been this excited about the prospects of wines this young since the remarkable 2009 and 2010 vintages. At that time, China was at the zenith of its extraordinary rise of fine wines where the highest estates, particularly Château Lafite , had become a backwater currency. Each man a...

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

Tasted four times - last time in October 2019. Consistent notes. It was a very potent wine, excellent complexity, structure and depth, rich and with sophisticated touch. A winner. Same impression on all occassions. Also tasted in Helsinki, Finland, in August 2019 during Valandrauds vertical, but the bottle was off.

  • 97p

Dark purple red colour with violet hue. Quite closed character, opening up very slowly, hints of mild spices, well concentrated. On the palate elegant, full-bodied with a good aromatic concentration, ripe acidity, ripe tannins, well balanced with depth and length displaying a promising potential. 

The 2016 Chateau Valandraud is a blend of 10% Cabernet Franc and 90% Merlot picked between 5 October to 15 October for the last Cabernet Franc, delivering 14.5% alcohol, less than in 2015. It has a very mineral-driven bouquet thanks to the limestone soils (please refer to the January 2017 issue of Wine Advocate where I examine the terroir of Valandraud). The palate is succulent on the entry with fine tannin, crisp and focused with superb definition, a little more finesse than the 2015 last year with a slightly confit-like finish that grips the mouth. It will require five or six years to really mellow and shave off those edges, but this will be a seductive 2016 from Jean-Luc Thunevin.

95/97p

  • 95p

Deep ruby. Blackberries, fruity, dark berries, spices, anise, coffee and vanilla, rich. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, dark berries and spices, anise, detailed, nuanced, ripe, rich and long. 94-96

  • 95p
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Information

Origin

St. Emilion, Bordeaux
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