CHÂTEAU VALANDRAUD
2022 Grand Cru Saint Emilion
88% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. 100% new oak 15.3% alc. This is the highest alcohol level that I found in this vintage, and, as we all know, high alcohols only trouble the palate if they stick out, bringing heat and sourness to the whole. Valandraud always has the knack of loading the most extraordinary intensity into its wines while somehow, and I have no idea how retaining a degree of balance. Granted, this is a very spicy wine, and it nods once or twice to heady Châteauneuf-du-Pape, along its flavour journey. Still, the bottom line is that while this is a brutish fellow, there is a degree of ostentatiousness here that catches the eye and makes me return for another sip. It is the definitive ‘guilty pleasure’ on the Saint-Emilion scene, and while I would love to see more control in all departments, this is, admittedly, great fun. Rating: 18+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2022 Valandraud is magnificent. Rich and sumptuous to the core, the 2022 offers up inky red/purplish fruit, blood orange, spice, mocha and espresso, with nearly seamless texture and fabulous balance. Bright acids and beams of tannin lend shape and energy. Jean-Luc Thunevin and Muriel Andraud crafted a wine that captures the textural opulence that first turned heads here, but with an added kick of energy that reflects a more contemporary approach and also the style of the year. There is absolutely no sign of the 100% new oak, always a good measure of balance. I imagine this full throttle Saint-Émilion will need a number of years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. The 2022 showed beautifully at Thunevin, but showed even better in a large comparative tasting. Yields were a very generous 50 hectoliters per hectare, very much on the high side here. Jean-Luc Thunevin adds that he may opt for slightly shorter élevage in barrel than the norm of around 18 months. Drinking range: 2035 - 2052 Rating: 96-98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2023)
This has been made with extreme attention to detail and nothing left to chance. The colour is very intense, dark and bright. The aromas are somewhat restrained by the oak at this stage, but the palate shows plenty of spirit and lively freshness that helps shape the concentrated substance. We can only hope that this brightness will be preserved once this is bottled. Rating: 94-95 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)
This sample is a blend of 88% Merlot and 6% each Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, from the estate’s 6.6 hectares of vines, and the fruit was picked from September 15th onwards, late for the vintage. It has a seductive and lightly toasted nose which has been built around a core of rich oak, with ribbons of dark fruit, blackberry, damson, toasted liquorice, smoke and leather. Even though I recognise part of this is nothing more than the scent of new barrels, it is hard not to admire how well it all sits together. The palate combines all this with a core of finely grained tannins, toasted oak, sweet grip and floral, expressive fruit. This is impressive, rather showy of course, with a tightly knit core of tannins doing a lot for the structure. An impressive composition, transmitting the perfumed intensity of the vintage, in the trademark voluptuous Valandraud style, but it is not the finished blend of course – it never is with Valandraud. So let’s retaste after the élevage. One final point; the alcohol on Valandraud this year is declared as 15.5%, not really out of the ordinary for this wine, but it still gives me the collywobbles a little. I have scored it as I see it today, but I do have to ask the question how a St Emilion with so much alcohol will age. And whether earlier picking might have helped. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
88% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cask sample. Deep crimson to the rim. Dark fruit with a touch of oak spice. Layered fruit on the palate with the oak again present. Prise de bois or old-fashioned extraction (with all that alcohol)? I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt but it needs tasting again. (JL) 15.5% Drinking range: 2030 - 2040 Rating: 16+ James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)
This is very rich and flamboyant yet it remains bright and vivid with a lovely fine tannin structure running through the wine. Bright acidity with a pH of 3.55 gives this energy and focus. 88% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 6% cabernet sauvignon. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
Château Valandraud
Among the garagiste wineries of the 1990’s, none was more garagiste than Château Valandraud. When Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle bought a couple of tiny plots of wines in 1989, the only place they had to make their wine was in a garage in the back streets of St Emilion village. The better of the two plots was 0.6ha just outside the village squashed between Pavie-Macquin and Le Clotte in a little valley called the Vallon de Fongaban – tacking the “Val” from Vallon on to Murielle’s maiden name – Andraud – they came up with the name Valandraud. Necessity as much as thirst for quality meant that practically everything was done meticulously by hand. The first release was in 1991. The 1992 was released at First Growth kinds of prices, which turned heads and set Château Valandraud on the path to cult status. Gradually more vineyard has been purchased including the previously obscure Château Bel-Air-Ouÿ in Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, way out east near the border with the Côtes de Castillon, meaning Château Valandraud now has a château. With the purchase of Bel-Air-Ouÿ, it is interesting to note that the majority of this undoubtedly great estate’s vineyards lie far outside the established area of the St Emilion plateau. Valandraud’s meteoric rise was crowned by its elevation from nowhere to Premier Grand Cru Classé (B) status in the 2012 St Emilion classification, and few would bet against the B being turned into an A if St Emilion can bear the turmoil of a further classification in the future. The vineyards are around 70% Merlot, with anything from 65% to 100% going into the main cuvée. Most of the rest of the vineyards are Cabernet Franc, but there are smaller plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmenère. The wine is aged in 100% new oak. There are, also, around 2ha of vineyard dedicated to white wine production. Aside from Château Valandraud, there is Virginie de Valandraud which is often described as the second wine of the estate but Thunevin insist it is more of an alternative cuvée with Le 3 de Valandraud being the actual second wine.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.