2018 | Château Valandraud | Virginie de Valandraud Blanc

Bright youthful straw colour with a green hue. Pure and intense nose offering a hint of new oak, lemongrass, lime, fresh grass and white fleshed fruit. The palate has medium weight, yet with good flavour intensity and density offering fine extract, a crisp acidity, some oak derived flavours, crushed pear and apple with zesty citrus flavours and a long lingering finish.

Reviews:

• VertdeVin: The nose is fresh, mineral, fruity and offers intensity as well as a small concentration. It reveals notes of juicy/fresh peach, juicy/fresh pear and small notes of fresh lemon zests associated with touches of fresh citrus (lemon, kumquat) as well as fine hints of flowers and very fine hints of toasted/vanilla. The palate is fruity, well-balanced and offers a small unctuosity, gourmandize, a fine acidulous frame, fullness, a fine grain, a beautiful freshness, minerality as well as a beautiful tension. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fleshy/juicy pear, fleshy/juicy peach and small notes of apple associated with a touch of juicy/ripe kumquat, fine hints of pineapple, quenette, quince as well as very fine hints of fresh grapefruit and discreet hints of vanilla (in the background). Good length.

• Andreas Larsson: Bright youthful straw colour with a green hue. Pure and intense nose offering a hint of new oak, lemongrass, lime, fresh grass and white fleshed fruit. The palate has medium weight, yet with good flavour intensity and density offering fine extract, a crisp acidity, some oak derived flavours, crushed pear and apple with zesty citrus flavours and a long lingering finish.

Producer Information

Château de Valandraud is a producer in Saint-Émilion classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé B. The Merlot-dominant grand vin is part of a relatively large portfolio which includes a number of red wines made from the classic Bordeaux blend, as well as a couple of white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The estate was formed in 1989, when wine merchant Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud (who has been the fulltime winemaker since 2008) bought a 0.6-hectare (1.5-acre) plot of vines near Château Pavie Macquin. There are now 10 hectares (25 acres) of vines. Merlot is the predominant variety, followed by Cabernet Franc and small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmenère. The 2ha (5 acres) planted to white varieties are split evenly between Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Gris. Château de Valandraud is regarded as one of Bordeaux's pioneering "garagiste" wines, made in a richer, more international style than many other Bordeaux wines. It has attracted high prices in the region from the very beginning, despite its initial St Emilion Grand Cru status - a rather commonplace designation in this particular region. The wine came under the spotlight in 2002 when plastic sheeting was placed over 2ha of vines to protect from water damage, requiring a declassification to Vin de Table for that year. However, Valandraud's sustained quality was officially recognised with an upgrade in the 2012 Saint-Émilion Classification to Premier Grand Cru Classé B.

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