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Valandraud 2003

Tasting Notes

This wine, conceived in a period when this property was not as well-known as it is today, is strutting its stuff. Proprietors Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud should be pleased. The color is a healthy dense plum/ruby. Aromas of sweet licorice, black currants and tobacco leaf are followed by a full-bodied, opulent wine without a trace of oxidation or fatigue. This beauty is a true success for a 2003 Right Bank offering. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (214), August 2014

A pretty wine with blackberry, cherry and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a sweet, tannic finish. Very well done. Some say it’s too new-wave but I like it.

92/94
James Suckling, Wine Spectator (April 04), April 2004

A very good Valandraud

18.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 04), April 2004
92
Farr Vintners, Southwold Bordeaux Tasting, January 2007
16.5/17
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine (1), April 2004
Read more 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.

93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (164), 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.

92/94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (158), 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+.

93/96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (152), April 2004
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.