Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
The Château Valandraud looks after an 8.8-hectare vineyard planted on clay-limestone soils, and the grape varieties are 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. The wines are aged from 18 to 30 months in 100% new barrels.
The Second wine of Château is named after the owners' daughter, Virginie de Valandraud. The Château Valandraud offers concentrated, velvety wines with great freshness. Reflecting its history, they offer a unique personality in the world of Bordeaux grands.
James Suckling: 97-98/100
Wow, this is really something. Very fruity, with dark blackberries and blueberries, as well as blood oranges. It’s full and layered with great depth of fruit and chewy, polished tannins. Turns lightly salty at the end. Power with precision. 84% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon.
Neil Martin - Vinous: 95-97/100
The 2023 Valandraud delivers exactly what you expect on the nose from Jean-Luc Thunevin's crown jewel: very polished scents of black cherries, cassis and crushed violets. One sample had a soupçon of sur-maturité, although another at the château displayed more composure and coolness. The palate is rich and fruit-driven with layers of black fruit. The sample at the château showed more backbone and grip, a healthy sprinkling of cracked black pepper and a long and persistent finish. Give this three to five years, because it is a seriously good Saint-Émilion.
Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent: 94-96/100
The 2023 Valandraud has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs some patient swirling to bring out fragrant notes of star anise, Indian spices, cedar chest, and fragrant soil, giving way to a core of plum preserves and blackberry pie. Full-bodied, concentrated, and built like a brick house, it has firm, chewy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing very long and opulent. This will take some time to come around, yet should be a very long-lived Valandraud!
Jane Anson: 95/100
Inky depths to Valandraud in this vintage, well constructued, intense sweet liqourice and black chocolate, starts out threatening a more old school feel for this wine, with crème de cassis dominant and high alcohols, but it is given focus and lift as it moves through the palate, with lilting aromatics of red roses, welcome pummice stone tannins, squid ink salinity, and mouthwatering freshness. Skilful, confident, impressive.