- Château Valandraud
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Château Valandraud, or Château de Valandraud, is an unclassed Bordeaux wine producer situated in the Saint-Émilion appellation. 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.[1]
Contents
History
Jean-Luc Thunevin
In 1989 Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle Andraud bought a 0.6-hectare (1.5-acre) plot in Saint-Émilion near Château Pavie-Macquin. Further plots in the region were acuired 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",[2] Thunevin is closely associated with the "garagiste" movement, and the wine is described as the pioneer "Vin de garage".[3][4][5] In 1995, Valandraud was given a better rating by Robert Parker than Château Pétrus,[6] and by 1997 the Valandraud bottle price was set at €91. The 2005 vintage was set at €165.[7]
The Thunevins have since taken on several projects, including the first "garage wine"' of Médoc, Marojallia,[3] 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, Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux.[8][9]
Production
The vineyard area currently extends 4.5 hectares (11 acres), 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.[7]
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-Émiliion wine.[10]
References
- Château Valandraud technical filePDF (103 KB) thunevin.com
- Footnotes
- ^ Arnold, Eric, Wine Spectator (2006-04-10). "Château Valandraud Tries to Take Kosher Wine to New Heights". https://wwws.winespectatorschool.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,3221,00.html.
- ^ winepros.com.au. The Oxford Companion to Wine. "microchateau". http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=2009.
- ^ a b Robinson, Jancis, jancisrobinson.com (2004-04-10). "Bordeaux 2003 - such mixed fortunes". http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/winenews0410.
- ^ Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. "Four from Jean-Luc Thunevin". http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/jeanlucthunevin2008.shtml.
- ^ Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. "Chateau Lezongars". http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/lezongars.shtml.
- ^ Jefford, Andrew, Waitrose Food Illustrated (November 2007). "Garage Guidance". http://www.waitrose.com/drink/wine/winearticles/2007/November/The_Corker_Andrew_Jefford.aspx.
- ^ a b Thunevin, Jean-Luc, Jean-Luc Thunevin's Blog (2008-05-01). "Transparency". http://thunevin.blogspot.com/2008/05/transparency.html.
- ^ Kakaviatos, Panos, Decanter.com (October 12, 2010). Robert Parker 'honoured' by merciless cartoon satire
- ^ Thunevin, Jean-Luc, thunevin.blogspot.com (October 11, 2010). Hilarious duo
- ^ Parker, Robert M. Jr, (2003). Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 382–383. ISBN 9780743229319.
External links
Categories:- Bordeaux wine producers
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