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  • Country ranking ?

    348
  • Producer ranking ?

    1
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    from 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Beef

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Deep purple-black in color, the 2018 Valandraud develops slowly from a base of warm black cherries, blackberry compote and preserved plums with a perfume of sandalwood, Indian spices, lavender, wilted roses, mocha and fruitcake plus wafts of woodsmoke and camphor. Full-bodied, the palate is rich, ripe and flamboyant with tons of opulent black and blue fruit layers, wonderfully curtailed by a firm frame of velvety tannins and f...

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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 2018

Report and recommendations for the 2018 Bordeaux vintage

by Andrew Caillard MW

2018 is an exceptional year. Bordeaux whites and Sauternes are very good, but from an Australian perspective, the excitement is all in the red wines. All sub-regions produced examples of very good wines, but some performed better than others. Generally, the largest estates have made exemplary wines illustrating that the human factor and wealth can have a major...

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

Valandraud PGCC "B" - very prominent nose of high-quality black cherries, excellent purity, precision and focus, great complexity and finesse, sophisticated touch and great length. Sheer class. Highly impressive. 97+p (98p).

  • 97p

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, blueberries, some spices, layered, intense yet refined and detailed nose, incredible depth. Floral high notes. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, blueberries, anise, liquorice, spices, layered, detailed and nuanced, lush yet graceful. Long indeed! Stunning. Tasted three times with very similar notes. 98-100

  • 100p

Deep crimson. Intense dark plum cedar spicy aromas with wood varnish notes. Immensely concentrated and oaky with attractive inky complexity and plentiful graphite textures. Elemental but impressive despite the oak right now. Should settle down into completeness.

  • 95p

Robust fruit from low yields but no less elegant. Wonderful richness, texture and structure, this will become a superbly balanced wine of great beauty.

  • 97p

Purple red colour with violet hue and black core. . Very complex nose, exuberant character, lush fruit reminiscent of ripe blackberries, sweet plums, already balanced spiciness with a touch of chocolate in the background. On the palate opulent and well balanced with great elegance, depth and length, great finish. A truly great wine. 

  • 98p
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Information

Origin

St. Emilion, Bordeaux

Inside Information

This is richly fruited, with waves of fleshy raspberry, boysenberry and red currant cruising through, inlaid with singed vanilla and apple wood notes along the way. Shows density and cut through the finish, with a tug of tobacco at the end. This is dialed up to 11.

Score: 96/99 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, March 2019
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