2016 | Château Valandraud | Virginie de Valandraud 6L

Very stylish, offering warmed raspberry and blackberry confiture notes infused with anise and black tea accents, all flowing nicely through the gently toasty finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Virginie de Valandraud offers gorgeous black cherries, mulberries and black raspberry scents with hints of star anise, violets and cumin seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firmly structured with firm, velvety tannins and tons of freshness, lifting the perfumed black fruits to a long finish.

• James Suckling: This is ripe and attractive with beautiful plum and dark-berry aromas that follow through to a full body, firm and medium, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Also slightly chewy at the end.

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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