Jean-Luc Thunevin: an evening with the wine maker garage
Wine Stories , Feature - March 3, 2010Within the panorama of contemporary Bordeaux wine, Thunevin, born in Algeria is one of its most liberal exponents. We present a small chronic treatment with the bad boy of French wine, wine garage concept creator and owner of the prestigious Château Valandraud, located on the outskirts of Saint-Émilion.
Text and photos by Gerardo Lammers
He said that Bordeaux was long gone.
The phrase, written in his blog ignited a controversy that was taken in the June 2009 issue of Paris Fine Wine.
Thunevin in his vineyard
Jean-Luc called Thunevin, around 50 years, and along with the lovely Andraud Murielle, his wife, we are at home, Château Valandraud, on the outskirts of Saint-Emilion, one of the oldest and most prestigious subregions of Bordeaux .
Thunevin born in Algeria and in his youth was disc jockey, woodcutter and banker.
The wine area is recognized as the creator of wine garage.
The story of his ascent is this: self-taught, came to Saint-Émilion 20 years ago, he got a little plot of an acre and, as he had no cellar, began to make wine in the garage of his home.
His name hit the spotlight when, in 1991, during a blind tasting in which it participated Michel Rolland, the famous Bordeaux winemaker f lying, wine was at or above the major labels in the area.
On this hot afternoon dressed casually, with a sport coat and jeans. Almost say that I am seeing the photo of your Facebook profile. A Thunevin likes the spotlight.
Facade of the winery
Behind the anti-Bordeaux provocation of this man lies, as I understand it, a spirit of renewal that does not feel anything bad to many Bordeaux producers, for whom the strict regulations and conservatism are a tight suit.
Accompanied by Juan Carlos Ferreira, who is responsible for managing the business and meet the wine boutique L'Essentiel (Saint-Emilion), Jean-Luc brings us to peek into the vineyard.
-The malbec has larger leaves. Captures the strong smells of rosemary and mushrooms, but their skin is very thin and easily bursts. It's a sensitive strain. He does not like to drop too much water.
True to the qualities of the terroir (this does not lead in the counter), 70% of its high density vineyards (24 hectares) is merlot, while the rest is divided between cabernet sauvignon, malbec and Carmenere.
Inside the building, the first thing you notice is the cleanliness.
Valandraud tubs used concrete, wood and steel for all its wines
-The winery for me is like the kitchen, the barrels are like pans says earnestly. And the vineyard is like a sponge for use even use paint on the walls. I am a hypochondriac.
The second is the scale. Valandraud is not a wine factory and is not a garage.
Its facilities include concrete fermentation tanks, wood and steel. He says each of their wines go through this trio of materials.
We entered the area of barrels.
-If you notice, we only feel the smell of wine and wood, which are the only two odors that must be found.
And for lovers of the controversy, as he drops a gem:
-To achieve a good wine is more work to be done in the cellar in the vineyard.
Murielle and Jean-Luc Andraud Thunevin
The food is ready, to which special guests have also arrived, and Dominique Decoster and his wife, owners of Château Fleur Cardinale.
What could the Château Valandraud menu suitable for a Latin American group of journalists? The answer is: Cous-cous. "Le vrai couscous marocain" ("the real Moroccan couscous") Thunevin hastens to say.
Maybe not on the dish that is wonderful as all the wines on offer (not all of the authorship of Thunevin, of course):
Valandraud Blanc 2005, AOC Bordeaux Contrôlée, a white not very expressive nose although fruit. Oily, dry, Bad Boy 2006, AOC Bordeaux Contrôlée, red fruity, medium body, easy to drink, assembly of merlot (95%) and cabernet franc and is the most accessible of the rebellion produced here; Château Fleur Cardinale , a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, which tested the vintages 2003 and 2004, both powerful wines with notes of currant, and firm tannins as expected, Le Clos du Beau-Père, 2006, AOC Pomerol, produced by Thunevin, robust red wine concentrate, which will find notes of black fruit, firm tannins, very well, and finally closed with the top of the house wine: Château Valandraud 2002, a red round tannins, dark, elegant, velvety with hints of violets .
What's more, Thunevin had the courtesy to bring a wine straight from the cask, which was placed in decanter: Château Valandraud 2008.
View Valandraud vineyard on the outskirts of Saint-Emilion, on the east side of Bordeaux
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