Château Compassant 2004

“Owned by the Thunevin family, Clos Badon is located in the town of Saint-Emilion; part of the Thunevin “portfolio” since 1998, it comprises 6.5 hectares planted on sandy-gravelly soil, with a blend of grape varieties that gives pride of place to Merlot. It is from this very same terroir that the Valandraud wines are produced, including Château de Valandraud, which, in a way, helped launch the trend for the famous “garage wines.” The effervescent Jean-Luc Thunevin, who now oversees some twenty hectares in the Bordeaux region, still has several tricks up his sleeve; his Bad Boy (95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc) was supposed, in theory, to also include Grenache or Carignan from… Maury, in Roussillon—all under the Vin de Pays de France appellation! To be continued, no doubt.”

(Valandreaux) “Few châteaux can claim to be as controversial as this one. The meteoric rise of Valandraud, founded by Jean-Luc Thunevin in the early 1990s, is as irritating as it is fascinating. How have the wines from this unassuming estate—built from the ground up starting with just one hectare of vineyards in Saint-Émilion—managed, in less than two decades, to establish themselves to the point where they are now among the most expensive and sought-after in Bordeaux? The owner’s personality, his talents as a taster and winemaker, and his keen business sense provide much of the answer. However, one should not overlook the contents of the bottle: Valandraud, an exotic and sensual wine from the start, also ages very well. Although it was once the leader of the “garage wine” movement, Valandraud is no longer part of it today. With its 10 hectares located in the town of Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, it surpasses many of the region’s estates in size. Nevertheless, the methods have not changed; the vineyard remains one of the best-maintained in all of Bordeaux, and the wine continues to benefit from Jean-Luc Thunevin’s expertise.”