2015 Château Valandraud St.-Émilion Grand Cru Double Magnum (3 L) Double Magnum

The sensational ascent of Château Valandraud’s Jean-Luc Thunevin, a former DJ, to 99-point winemaker and darling of Bordeaux’s Saint-Émilion appellation is the stuff of Hollywood. 

Imagine quitting your day job to make wine in one of the world’s most revered regions with little money, no cellar of your own, and no fear of enraging the appellation’s power structure. Then imagine getting a score of 95 points from Robert Parker on your fifth vintage, and seeing the price of your wine surpass those of the established estates who were nothing but critical of your early efforts.

As satisfying as seeing that early criticism turn into acclaim must have been for Thunevin, it could not be more satisfying than the wine itself. Twenty-four years after the first vintage, the 2015 Château Valandraud is a class act from start to finish, with mesmerizing aromas of black cherry, lavender, cedar, anise, and so much more. While the wine certainly has the backbone to age for two decades or more, the integration of tannin, oak, and fruit on the palate is a triumph of balance. Jeb Dunnuck calls the Merlot-based wine a “hedonistic dream” in his best-ever 99-point review, and we couldn’t agree more.

Most winemakers can get behind the idea that wine and hedonism go hand in hand, but what raised the ire of Saint-Émilion’s old guard in the early days was Thunevin’s conviction that he could make good wine from very modest terroir using nontraditional winemaking techniques. His first grapes grew in sandy soils (not clay and limestone). He plucked leaves to reduce yield and concentrate flavors (now a common practice). He crushed and destemmed grape clusters by hand in his garage (he couldn’t afford equipment). 

With such odds against him, why try? According to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, “When Jean-Luc incepted Valandraud he had virtually nothing to lose in terms of reputation. A former bank clerk producing a tiny amount of wine from sandy soils. So what?” Thunevin’s passion project, which he started with the help of his wife, Murielle Andraud, also earned him the moniker “bad boy” from Robert Parker, a title he wore with aplomb. As his reputation grew, famed consulting winemaker Michel Rolland added his expertise to the project. Saint-Émilion—and our cellars—would never be the same.

One bottle of the 2015 Château Valandraud is rarely enough, especially since Roger Voss of Wine Enthusiast considers 2015 “the best Bordeaux vintage since 2010.” We’ve remedied this problem by securing an allocation of magnums and double magnums direct from the estate, suitable for celebrations now and two decades hence. For a wine that Neal Martin of Vinous calls “about as good as it gets” at a fraction of the price of the more legendary estates, this is a must-buy for collectors of the appellation.