Château Bellevue de Tayac 2005

“Jean-Luc Thunevin, a native of Bordeaux, partnered with Jean-Roget Calvet and purchased 20 hectares of vineyards located primarily on the black schist terroirs of Maury; 2001 was their first vintage. The estate now spans a good sixty hectares. Building on the methods already used in Bordeaux, while adapting to the grape varieties and climate of Roussillon, they have notably chosen to harvest the grapes when they are fully ripe.”

(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 did the wines from this unassuming estate—built from scratch on a single hectare of vineyards in Saint-Émilion—manage, 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 exceptionally well. While 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.”