Château VALANDRAUD
1er grand cru classé

Self-taught, Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle got their start in the Bordeaux vineyards when they bought a tiny 0.6 hectare plot in Saint-Émilion, near Pavie-Macquin. Produced in minute quantities, vinified with the means at hand but with meticulous care, Valandraud soon made a name for itself, to the point of giving rise to the 'garage wine' movement in the 1990s.

Now with a vineyard of almost 11 hectares on the cooler limestone terroirs of Saint-Etienne de Lisse (on the eastern edge of the appellation) and a bioclimatic cellar allowing gravity-fed vinification, Valandraud is now a Premier Grand Cru Classé in its own right.

J-M Quarin: 95/100 “Black color with garnet highlights. Incredibly aromatic nose, smelling of ripe fruit. Touches of white fruit, cherry and truffle. It's only when the glass is shaken that the red wine comes through. This is what confuses the senses and knowledge! Which is the very definition of a Grand Vin. Smooth on the attack, juicy in the mid-palate, with class in the touch, the wine melts on the palate, then gains depth in persistence. The finish is seductive and more perfumed than ever. Difficult to spit out." (April 2025)