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 boasting nearly 11 hectares of vineyards on the cooler limestone soils of Saint-Etienne de Lisse (on the eastern edge of the appellation) and a bioclimatic winery enabling gravity-fed vinification, Valandraud is a first growth in its own right, sharing the hedonistic, indulgent style of Troplong-Mondot.

See the technical sheet

J-M Quarin : 98/100 “Delicate on the palate at first, incredibly aromatic on the mid-palate, with a refined richness that coats the palate, the wine develops into a juicy, noble and powerful wine, with some of the most nuanced tannins ever seen in this vintage. A powerful yet flavourful wine.”

Bettane+Desseauve : 97-98/100 “A dizzyingly deep bouquet, a creamy, silky attack, and deep, fresh tannins: it remains true to its hedonistic style whilst gaining in refinement.”

Vinous (A. Galloni) : 96-99/100 "The 2025 Valandraud is breathtaking. Itsthe first vintage made by Jean-Luc Thunevin and Marie Lefévère together. It therefore represents a changing of the guard, now that Lefévère and her husband, Christophe, have taken full ownership of the property after many years holding a minority stake. Vibrant and explosive in the glass, the 2025 Valandraud offers an exotic mélange of dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and mocha. There's gorgeous precision here, much of that coming from more finesse in the tannins. The 2025 is utterly magnificent."

Vinous (N. Martin) : 94-96/100 "The 2025 Valandraud [...] has an intense nose with black cherry, cassis and violet scents, more bold than the Virginie de Valandraud but perhaps slightly less delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, very well balanced with good depth of fruit, spicier than the Virginie towards the finish. Good grip, more than the Virginie, this will require three to five years in bottle, but it has great potential."

La Revue du Vin de France : 93-95/100 "A slight shift in style, becoming more refined whilst retaining the smoothness on the mid-palate and velvety tannins. The overall impression is a real success, thanks to the increased brightness of the fruit."