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Valandraud 2003

St Emilion, Grand Cru

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Tasting Notes

The home property of Jean-Luc Thunevin, the inspirational spirit for Bordeaux’s garagiste movement, is Valandraud. The 2003 is a full-bodied, powerful St.-Emilion offering up notes of espresso roast, chocolate, sweet currants and cherries, and hints of minerals as well as cedar. Expressive and pure, with copious tannins lurking behind the cascade of fruit and glycerin, this wine requires 2-4 years of bottle age, and should drink well for two decades or more.

Score: 93

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2008-2026 30 April 2006

The 2003 is a full-bodied, powerful St.-Emilion offering up notes of espresso roast, chocolate, sweet currants and cherries, and hints of minerals as well as cedar. Expressive and pure, with copious tannins lurking behind the cascade of fruit and glycerin, this wine requires 2-4 years of bottle age, and should drink well for two decades or more.

Score: 93

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2008-2026 30 April 2006

The powerful, black/purple-tinged 2003 offers pure floral notes intermixed with blackberries, charcoal, espresso, and chocolate. Multilayered, full-bodied, and concentrated, with sweet tannin and low acidity, this already accessible St.-Emilion will be drinkable between 2007-2020. Note: Valandraud also produces a limited production kosher cuvee. The 2003 merited (90-92 points), and the 2002 (89 points). It may be the world’s finest kosher wine.

Score: 92 - 94

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2007-2020 30 April 2005

The well-known Jean-Luc Thunevin, who has done so much to inspire a young generation of St.-Emilion wine producers, may have produced the finest wine in this estate’s short history. Cropped at 28 hectoliters per hectare, there are just over 1,000 cases of this blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and small portions of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. An inky/blue/purple color accompanies a powerful perfume of black fruits, underbrush, licorice, crushed stones, cocoa, espresso, and spice box. It hits the palate with a thunderous display of power and fruit. With beautifully integrated tannin, a ripe personality, and a 50-second finish, this serious effort may be the biggest and longest-lived Valandraud has yet produced. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+.

Score: 93 - 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2008-2020 30 April 2004