Virginie de Valandraud Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018 - Second vin

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Beautiful, silky texture that unfolds coherently from start to finish, with intensity and generosity. The peppermint finish restores the wine's tannic vitality.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

A woody nose for a wine that then exposes juicy, unconventional flesh in depth. The wine's unrestrained fullness and mass reveal the best of profiles for Virginie, whose warm year is doing her good.

About the domain :

"Created from scratch by Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife, Muriel, in the early 1990s, Valandraud is a tremendous success story, as only the right bank social elevator can offer in Bordeaux. Built from one hectare of vines in Saint-Emilion, the estate now covers 10 hectares in the commune of Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, and has become one of the most expensive and sought-after estates in Bordeaux. The strong character of its owner and, above all, his keen sense of commerce have a lot to do with it. But today, it's the contents of the Valandraud bottle that have fans of this astonishing exotic wine running wild, sensual at birth and also evolving very well. Once the leader of the garage wine movement, Valandraud is no longer as big as it once was. However, the methods have not changed; the vineyard remains one of the best tended in Bordeaux, and the wine continues to benefit from all the expertise of Jean-luc Thunevin."

Yves Beck

About the wine:

Inviting, complex bouquet, revealing notes of coffee, caramel and thyme. Hints of graphite on aeration and, finally, blackberry notes. Dense and creamy on the palate, with hints of ageing and a certain sweetness. The wine is charming, fruity, fresh and well supported by its structure.

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is elegant, offering power, a certain intensity (but with finesse), density and a lovely finesse of grain. Notes of blackcurrant, toasted oak and, to a lesser extent, wild blackberry are combined with hints of strawberry, fleshy blue berries, toast and lily, as well as fine hints of pepper, spice, nutmeg, a very discreet touch of vanilla and an imperceptible hint of saffron. Fruity, mineral and balanced on the palate, with good definition, precision and suavity, as well as freshness, dynamism, fine suavity, good guideline, straightness and fine grain. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackcurrant, juicy blackberry and, more lightly, fresh/juicy raspberry, combined with hints of violet/blushing plum, as well as hints of strawberry, chocolate, licorice stick, very fine hints of violet, lily, chocolate and a subtle hint of tobacco/spice. The tannins are well structured, elegant and racy. A lovely wine!

Anthocyanes - Yohan Castaing

About the wine:

Fresh and pure, Virginie de Valandraud's nose remains floral and fresh. Fleshy and juicy on the palate, with lovely velvety tannins, density and volume. A very fine bottle of Virginie de Valandraud at its best.