2024 Valandraud Blanc
Buying options
Tasting Notes
Love the grilled white peach and pear, with delicious smoked grilled oak. Grippy and drawn out, with a ton of elderflower, white pepper, lime zest. Will need time after bottling to fully reveal the depth of fruit, but hard to resist even now. Harvest 12 to 21 September. 3.1 pH. 80% new oak, 20% amphora.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2024 Valandraud Blanc was picked three times in the vineyard and matured in 80% new oak and 20% amphora. It is less expressive than the Virginie at the moment, but there is more concentration and honeysuckle scent that evolves in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a tangy, orange pith and mandarin-tinged entry. It has a keen line of acidity with a composed and persistent finish. I can see this drinking very well once in bottle. I like the energy here.
Grapefruit, flowers, lemon peel, oranges, honeysuckle, and ginger snaps fill the perfume. There is purity in the fruits, creamy textures, accents of crushed stone, and a vivid yellow citrus finish. The wine blends 55% Sauvignon Gris, 40% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Semillon.
Grapefruit, flowers, lemon peel, oranges, honeysuckle, and ginger snaps fill the perfume. There is purity in the fruits, creamy textures, accents of crushed stone, and a vivid yellow citrus finish. The wine blends 55% Sauvignon Gris, 40% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Semillon.
About the producer
One of the first garage wines, Ch. Valandraud was created by Jean-Luc Thunevin – Saint-Emilion’s “bad boy”. Today the style of the wine is much more restrained, and officially classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé B estate.