1994 Valandraud

Having now tasted four vintages from this micro-estate of 2.5 hectares, I can state that no winemaker in Bordeaux is doing more with his raw materials than Jean-Luc Thunevin. Working with terroir that his neighbors describe as "not great," Thunevin has created a remarkably rich, vibrant wine with far more personality than many examples of St. Émilion from more pedigreed soils. The keys here are low yields (35 h/h in '95), very ripe fruit and a collection of cellar techniques I think of as Burgundian: cold maceration (8 to 10 days following the '95 harvest), malolactic in barrel, stirring of the lees beginning with the '95, and selective use of "200% new oak" (i.e., racking after malo from a new barrel into another new cask). Thunevin buys some of his barrels from Darnaju, a cooper based in Lalande à Pomerol whose casks are also used to make Lafleur de Gay, L'Eglise-Clinet and Pétrus. I was able to taste the '95 from numerous barrels, including cuvées of 100% merlot and others of cabernet franc and malbec; wine made in 200% new oak; and barrels that received batonnage vs. the identical wine that did not. I was particularly struck by how lees stirring resulted in a smoother, more textured wine that was also somehow brighter and more penetrating. That's the good news. The bad news is that just 600 to 800 cases are produced each year, the wine is priced higher than the Médoc first growths, and you'll need a loyal friend in the trade to snare some.