2011 Chateau Valandraud, St. Emilion Grand Cru

From outsider beginnings to right-bank royalty, Château Valandraud embodies modern Saint-Émilion at its most daring. The 2011 vintage opens with an opulent nose of black cherry, plum compote and cocoa, layered with graphite, truffle and a touch of cigar leaf. The palate is plush and enveloping, showing the hallmark Valandraud richness, dense dark fruit wrapped in polished tannins and lifted by a fine mineral edge. There’s generosity here, but also discipline; the oak is beautifully integrated, the finish long, savoury and quietly luxurious. A mature, confident wine from Bordeaux’s original garagiste.

For when: the night deserves something a little bit decadent.
Pairs with: roast lamb, beef Wellington, or truffled mushroom ravioli.
If this wine were a personality, it’d be a self-made icon, charismatic, bold, and impossible to ignore.

Château Valandraud is one of Bordeaux’s great success stories, a garage wine turned Grand Cru Classé. Founded in 1989 by Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle Andraud, the estate began as a small plot tucked behind Saint-Émilion, producing minuscule quantities of intensely hand-crafted wine that challenged the region’s old order. Its explosive quality and limited production quickly made it a cult phenomenon, redefining what Bordeaux could be.

The vineyards, around 10 hectares today, sit on a patchwork of clay-limestone and gravel soils, planted mainly to Merlot (about 70%), with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a touch of Malbec. Meticulous viticulture, low yields, and long, careful élevage in new oak (often 100%) are the cornerstones of Valandraud’s style. In 2011, cooler conditions delivered a wine of precision and freshness to balance its trademark richness, proof that even in a more restrained vintage, Valandraud’s flair for intensity and detail still shines through.