Virginie de Valandraud, Grand Cru Classé, St Émilion, 2005

Name: Virginie de Valandraud, Grand Cru Classé, St Émilion
Brand: Château Valandraud
Price: 1481.92 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2005

justerini & brooks tasting note

A blend of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, cropped at 25hl/ha from 4.5ha. There is the usual 100% new oak, and the wine carries 14% alcohol. Could the garagistes be returning to the fold? This Valandraud is so pure and elegant, with its habitual power and extraction seemingly abandoned in favour of a more classic style, that one must ask the question. Very pure fruit on the nose, quite tight on the palate with good (but not excessive) concentration, very fine tannins and great balance. Or is this simply a true reflection of an exceptional vintage?

critic reviews

92/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Heavy oak toasting and tar on the oak, these were the time when Valandraud was in full flight of exuberance and extraction, before it took the foot off the pedal over the last five years. Spice and grilled cedar give plenty of impact, and are backed up by gourmet slabs of cocoa bean and smoked earth, but the ripe dark fruits are so concentrated that they lack juice, giving it more estate than vintage signature. Cleverly constructed, but lacks light and shade. 100% new oak, harvest October 1 to 5.

DRINKING WINDOW 2022 - 2038

date of review 09/2022

100/100Antonio Galloni,Vinous

The 2005 Valandraud is off the charts. Easily one of the wines of the vintage, the 2005 Valandraud possesses tremendous richness from start to finish. Moreover, it has aged exquisitely. Inky red fruit, iron, smoke, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and blood orange infuse the 2005 with striking layers of nuance to play off all that unctuous fruit. This full-throttle Saint-Émilion is a prodigious effort from Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud.

DRINKING WINDOW 2021 - 2035

date of review 04/2021

95/100Neal Martin,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2005 Valandraud is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc aged in new oak for 22 months. It has a very precise bouquet with fine delineation: copious blackberry, raspberry and crisp strawberry fruit, impressive mineralite with subtle marine scents lapping against the shore. The palate is very composed on the entry. It has an almost Burgundy-like texture. This is very refined and cohesive, silky smooth with a powerful and intense bravura of a finish. Perhaps the most sophisticated wine that Jean-Luc Thunevin had made at that point, it comes highly recommended and is just beginning to drink now. Tasted December 2016.

DRINKING WINDOW 2017 - 2040

date of review 03/2017