Thunevin

Jean-Luc Thunevin became a celebrity in the wine world in less than a decade thanks to his famous "garage wine," Château Valandraud, in Saint-Emilion. It was probably during a tasting of Le Pin, a Pomerol from a small vineyard, that he decided he wanted to make an exceptional wine himself. Thanks to his passion for wine, his tenacity, and his determination, he fulfilled his dream with the first vintage of Château Valandraud in 1991.

He then became the inspiration and initiator of many other garage wines. All these micro-vintages from low yields produce concentrated wines. His wife, Murielle Andraud, personally supervises the meticulous care given to the vines: pruning adapted to each vine, systematic leaf removal, and green harvesting to deliberately limit the number of bunches per vine to six. For his part, Jean-Luc Thunevin seeks the optimal ripeness of the grapes to start the harvest; he has also adopted the Burgundian techniques of pigeage and bâtonnage on lees to obtain optimal concentration. The wines produced by the Thunevin establishments are made with a constant concern for excellence and are full-bodied and ripe.

Over the course of his years of passionate work, Jean-Luc Thunevin has developed expertise and mastery that benefit many estates. He recently purchased Château Bellevue de Tayac in the Margaux appellation, as well as Le Clos du Beau Père (Pomerol) and Domaine des Sabines (Lalande de Pomerol).