L'Interdit de Valandraud

Lot presentation

L'Interdit de Valandraud

The wine

Part of the 2000 vintage turned out to have a rather interesting fate. Two hectares of the Thunevins' vines were used for an experiment that had not been approved by the INAO regulatory body. The vines on this plot were covered with plastic sheets to protect them from any undesirable rain prior to harvesting. As a result, the wine was denied the right to be labelled Saint Emilion, and demoted to a simple "vin de table". In retaliation, this special blend was named "L'Interdit de V...d" ("The Forbidden Valandraud"). Naturally, however, the Valandraud reputation generated considerable enthusiasm and curiosity for this rare wine, which was only produced in very small quantities (4,000 bottles).

About the Producer Château de Valandraud

In 1989, restaurateur and wine merchant Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle acquired a small plot of vines (less than a hectare) in Saint-Emilion. The first vintage of Château de Valandraud was produced in 1991. The Thunevin family were involved throughout the winemaking process, seeking perfection at every stage… starting in the vineyard, where Murielle tended the vines on a daily basis. From 2001, organic methods were adopted in the vineyard, which had previously been treated with a minimum pesticides approach. A superb wine prized by connoisseurs all over the world, its price has risen dramatically due to the small quantities that were produced: 4,200 bottles in 1993, 9,000 in 1994, 11,400 in 1995 and about 12,000 bottles a year thereafter. The Thunevin family have since purchased ten more hectares spread across the Saint-Emilion appellation. The term garage wine has thus come to apply less and less to Château Valandraud, which now also produces a second wine, Virginie de Valandraud. At the 2012 reclassification of Saint-Emilion wines, Valandraud was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé B status.

Detailed characteristics