Château Valandraud

Identity

Château Valandraud is located in the commune of Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse. It is managed by Murielle Andraud, who also serves as technical director, and Jean-Luc Thunevin, managing director. The cellar master is Rémi Dalmasso, who is also the oenologist, while Christophe Lardière serves as vineyard manager. Château Valandraud is classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Émilion.

History and philosophy

The history of Château Valandraud began in 1989, although the estate was officially established in 1991 by Murielle Andraud and Jean-Luc Thunevin. The name Valandraud combines "val" (the Fongaban valley) with Murielle Andraud's maiden name. In 2016, the Lefévère family acquired a 47% shareholding in the property. The estate is committed to the HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) environmental certification scheme.

Appellations

Château Valandraud produces wines under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation for its principal cuvées and second wine, as well as under the Bordeaux appellation.

Practical information

Le Logis de Valandraud, located at 243 Château Valandraud, 33330 Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, offers accommodation services including Wi-Fi, a panoramic terrace, a large lounge, a heated swimming pool, a full breakfast, an electric vehicle charging point, bed linen and towels, and cleaning services. Pets are welcome.

Cellar visits and tastings are available by prior appointment. The estate accepts payment by American Express, debit/credit cards, holiday vouchers (chèques vacances), and cash. Spoken languages are French, English, and Portuguese.

Telephone: +33 5 57 40 17 78
Email: valandraudlocation@thunevin.com

Find out more

Official estate website

The vineyard (terroir)

The Château Valandraud vineyard spans a total area of 22 hectares, of which 19 hectares are dedicated to red grape varieties and 3 hectares to white grape varieties. The soils are predominantly clay-limestone on the Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse plateau, alongside silica-gravel plots. The average vine age is 25 to 30 years, with a planting density ranging between 6,500 and 8,200 vines per hectare.

The red grape variety plantings are dominated by Merlot (between 65% and 70%), complemented by Cabernet Franc (between 25% and 85% depending on sources), Cabernet Sauvignon (between 5% and 8%), Malbec (4%), and Carmenère (1%). The white grape varieties comprise Sémillon (50%), Sauvignon gris (25%), and Sauvignon blanc (25%).

Viticultural practices include double Guyot pruning, grass cover cropping, ploughing, de-leafing, and green harvesting. Harvesting is carried out by hand, followed by sorting by the pickers and densimetric sorting with a Tribaie system upon arrival at the bioclimatic cellar.

Flagship cuvées

The estate's signature wine is Château Valandraud, produced as a red wine. The red second wine is Virginie de Valandraud. Other red cuvées include Axelle de Valandraud, Clos Badon-Thunevin, VDT L'interdit de Valandraud, and Kascher. The estate also crafts white wines under the names Valandraud and Virginie de Valandraud.

Vinification and ageing

Vinification of the red wines takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel and wooden vats. It involves manual punch-downs (pigeage), pump-overs (remontage), and a maceration period lasting approximately three weeks. Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrels. Ageing, which varies depending on the vintage, lasts from 18 to 30 months in 100% new oak barrels. Oenological consulting is provided by Jean-Philippe Fort of Laboratoire Rolland.