Château Valandraud - 2025

Château Valandraud is the creation of Jean-Luc Thunevin, the famous “bad boy” of Saint-Émilion and an iconic figure of the Bordeaux wine region. A passionate self-taught winemaker, Thunevin built his estate without any family inheritance or initial fortune, relying solely on his determination and his keen understanding of terroir. Originally, the estate consisted of a tiny 0.6-hectare vineyard plot nestled between Château Pavie-Macquin and Château La Clotte, in a clay-limestone sector particularly well suited to the expression of Merlot. It was on this modest parcel of land that the first vintage of Valandraud was produced in 1991, vinified in a simple garage — thus giving birth to the concept of “garage wines,” which would revolutionize the Saint-Émilion appellation during the 1990s.

Over the years, through successive acquisitions and remarkable commercial and critical success, the estate gradually expanded to nearly 10 hectares spread across the Saint-Émilion appellation. The vines, some of which are over a century old, are planted on diverse soils — deep clay, limestone with asteria fossils, and ancient sandy soils — giving the wine an exceptionally complex aromatic profile. The grape composition is primarily based on Merlot, complemented by Cabernet Franc and a tiny proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, all cultivated using sustainable farming practices with special attention paid to biodiversity and soil health.

The wine of Château Valandraud is crafted with uncompromising standards: vinified and aged entirely in new oak barrels, it undergoes neither fining nor filtration in order to preserve the full richness and aromatic expression of the wine. Intentionally low yields — often below 30 hectoliters per hectare — ensure remarkable concentration and depth. On the palate, Valandraud stands out for its velvety texture, rich tannic structure, and exceptional ageing potential, capable of fully expressing itself fifteen to twenty years after harvest.

The ultimate recognition for Jean-Luc Thunevin came in 2012, when Château Valandraud was officially classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Émilion — a historic achievement for an estate created entirely from scratch just twenty years earlier. This elevation to the top tier of the Bordeaux hierarchy perfectly illustrates the extraordinary journey of a wine born from passion and boldness, now regarded as one of the absolute benchmarks of the Saint-Émilion appellation.