Château Valandraud 2006

Characteristics and tasting advice for Château Valandraud 2006

Tasting

Color

Deep garnet verging on black, this wine displays remarkable intensity and a slight natural haze, a sign that it has not been filtered.

Nose

The aromatic bouquet expresses itself with striking intensity, unveiling aromas of very ripe dark fruit, notably blackcurrant and black cherry. These fruity notes are delicately accompanied by spicy, oaky nuances of vanilla, tobacco and coffee. With aeration, the nose reveals touches of white chocolate, toasted cocoa nibs, and even subtle hints of camphor.

Palate

On the palate, the wine unfolds with a voluptuous, fleshy texture. The attack is immediately generous, coating the palate with concentrated flavors of stewed, compoted dark fruits, complemented by spicy impressions that evolve into roasted suggestions. The tannins, while present and structuring, are expressed with finesse and elegance. The wine’s distinctive minerality remains evident throughout the tasting, bringing a perceptible freshness and sensory clarity. The finish is remarkably persistent, with fruity, spicy and mineral impressions gradually fading away.

Food and wine pairings

This Château Valandraud 2006 pairs perfectly with roast leg of lamb with artichokes. It also complements roasted or braised red meats with elegance, particularly those served with rich mushroom sauces. Dark-fleshed game, such as wild boar stew, makes an exceptional match. Aged soft-ripened cheeses, like truffled Brie, also create a lovely harmony with this wine.

Serving and cellaring

This Château Valandraud 2006 has cellaring potential for another ten to twenty years, i.e. until around 2036. With additional time in bottle, the wine will gain in complexity and harmony.

A rich, modern Saint-Émilion born of the garagiste movement

The estate

Created in 1991 by Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud, Château Valandraud embodies the revolutionary movement of Bordeaux garage wines. Located in Saint-Émilion, the estate now covers around 9 to 11 hectares spread between the Fongaban valley and the Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse plateau. A pioneer of an iconoclastic approach, Jean-Luc Thunevin—dubbed the “Bad Boy of Bordeaux” by Robert Parker—turned a tiny 0.6-hectare plot into a Premier Grand Cru Classé. In 2015, Christophe and Marie Lefévère took a stake in the estate, bringing fresh momentum. The château is renowned for its rich, silky, modern wines, made with an obsessive attention to detail and an uncompromising commitment to quality.

The vineyard

The Château Valandraud vineyard extends across the communes of Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse and Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens, in the heart of the Saint-Émilion appellation. The soils show remarkable diversity, with around 70 to 90% clay-limestone terroirs characterized by their richness in clay and fine limestone. The remainder of the vineyard includes sections of siliceous gravel and sand. The vines, with an average age of 30 years, benefit from a mild oceanic climate conducive to optimal ripening. In 2017, the estate earned the Haute Valeur Environnementale certification, reflecting its commitment to environmentally responsible practices. Harvesting is carried out by hand, with rigorous grape selection.

The vintage

The 2006 vintage in Bordeaux proved to be a year of major qualitative success, particularly for Right Bank wines. Weather conditions combined a warm summer with a relatively dry autumn, creating circumstances that favored sugar concentration and optimal ripeness levels for red grape varieties. This balanced maturity enabled producers to achieve a complex expression combining power and finesse.

Winemaking and aging

After rigorous density sorting, the grapes for Château Valandraud 2006 are destemmed and lightly crushed. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled vats, with an extended maceration of around three weeks. Manual punch-downs and pump-overs are carried out during this period. At the end of alcoholic fermentation, the entire harvest is transferred to new oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. Aging continues in new barrels for 18 to 30 months depending on the vintage. The wine undergoes neither fining nor filtration before bottling, thus preserving the full breadth of its natural complexity.

Grape varieties

Merlot and Cabernet Franc make up the typical blend of this Château Valandraud 2006, reflecting the traditional Right Bank Bordeaux balance. Merlot brings roundness, suppleness and generous fruit, while Cabernet Franc lends tannic elegance, structured finesse and mineral complexity.