A blend of Merlot 90%, Cabernet Franc 7%, and Cabernet Sauvignon 3%, this is a Saint-Émilion red wine produced from a vineyard spanning just 17 acres. In 2020, mildew posed a significant threat to the Bordeaux crop, resulting in reduced yields in some vineyards.
Thunevin developed Valandraud into a Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé from a very small vineyard, and the style of this wine has always been characterized by concentrated flavors. The wine was aged for 24 months in 100% new oak barrels.
Because the tannins are quite strong, it is recommended to decant the wine when drinking it young. It is best enjoyed between 2025 and 2048.
Robert Parker (92)
If the 2019 vintage at this address was something of a guilty pleasure, the 2020 Valandraud is simply guilty as charged. Exhibiting aromas of jammy black fruits mingled with toasted coconut, spices and caricatural slatherings of new oak, it's full-bodied, rich and chewy, with generously extracted tannins that clamp down on the finish. All that oak and extract impedes access to the wine's generous fruit, rendering it less demonstrative and gourmand than its 2019 counterpart, and that's a pity, as recent vintages of Valandraud have been among the more successful of the few remaining hold-out "garagiste" wines of the Right Bank.
James Suckling (99)
Number 96 in the Top 100 from 2023
Very opulent and expressive aromas of black fruit and pine needles. So floral. Full-bodied with plush, velvety tannins and lots of fruit and texture. It goes on for minutes. Rich at the finish, but remains fresh and vivid. Superb. One of the great Valandrauds.
Jancis Robinson (17)
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Dark and oaky – lots of 70% dark chocolate. Pretty oaky, covering all else. The tannins are big and dense but there’s enough fresh fruit to fill it out for the long term. (JH)
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Number 35 in the Top 100 from 2023
One of the wines of the vintage is Jean-Luc Thunevin’s 2020 Château Valandraud, which comes from the cooler, eastern side of Saint-Emilion. Exhibiting a dense purple hue as well as an incredible perfume of crème de cassis, ripe black cherries, violets, new leather, and an almost Hermitage-like burning embers character, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe, seamless tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and a finish that won’t quit. A blend of 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s clearly in the same league as the 2019, if not slightly more concentrated. Give bottles 5-7 years in the cellar, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 20-25 years or so.
BOW (8.5)
Falstaff (95)
Fragrant blueberry on the nose. Strong new wood. Vanilla. Licorice. On the palate densely packed with fleshy tannin, very compact but dissolving juicily, intense mineral freshness, much tension, a clarified structure without any excess. Suitably supple underpinnings, very good length. The alcohol remains almost imperceptible despite 15 percent by volume.
Wine Enthusiast (97)
This 17-acre vineyard gives a wine with an explosion of black fruits. It offers sweetness balanced by acidity and impressive tannins. The wood aging gives a polished texture with richness and style in balance.
