Chateau Virginie de Valandraud
Chateau Virginie de Valandraud
Virginie de Valandraud is the second wine of Château Valandraud (Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux’s Right Bank). The cuvée was created in 1992 and is named after Virginie Thunevin (daughter of owners Jean-Luc Thunevin & Murielle Andraud). The vineyards for Virginie de Valandraud are located on clay-limestone soils with siliceous floors around Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse (near Saint-Émilion). The typical varietal make-up is around 70 % Merlot and 30 % Cabernet Franc (for the red version). The wine is made with manual harvesting, and aging in new French oak barrels (100 % new for the red version). Virginie de Valandraud enjoys good critical reception — for example the 2019 vintage was described by Jeb Dunnuck as “flawlessly balanced… gorgeous tannins and a great finish.” It is positioned at a high quality, but somewhat below the estate’s flagship Grand Vin (Château Valandraud); thus it offers a way into the house style at somewhat lower cost. The parent estate (Château Valandraud) is known for its “garage wine” beginnings (the “vin de garage” movement) and rapid ascent in the Bordeaux classification; this heritage gives context to Virginie de Valandraud’s brand message.
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