Jean-Luc Thunevin - Présidial 2005

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the estate:

"Owned by the Thunevin family, Clos Badon is located in the town of Saint-Emilion; part of the Thunevin portfolio since 1998, it comprises 6.5 hectares planted on sandy-gravelly soil, with a vineyard composition dominated by Merlot. It is from this same terroir that the Valandraud wines are produced, including Château de Valandraud, which in a way helped launch the trend of the famous "garage wines." The dynamic Jean-Luc Thunevin, who today oversees some twenty hectares in the Bordeaux region, still has several tricks up his sleeve; his Bad Boy (95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc) was, in theory, supposed to also include Grenache or Carignan from... Maury, in Roussillon, all under the Vin de Pays de France appellation! A project for another time, no doubt.”

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

“Few châteaux can claim to be as controversial as this one. The meteoric rise of Valandraud, founded by Jean-Luc Thunevin in the early 1990s, is as irritating as it is fascinating. How did the wines from this unassuming estate—built from scratch on a single hectare of vineyards in Saint-Émilion—manage, in less than two decades, to establish themselves to the point where they are now among the most expensive and sought-after in Bordeaux? The personality of its owner, his talents as a taster and winemaker, and his keen business sense provide much of the answer. However, one should not overlook the contents of the bottle: Valandraud, an exotic and sensual wine from the start, also ages very well. While it was once the leader of the garage wine movement, Valandraud is no longer part of it today. With its 10 hectares located in the commune of Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, it surpasses many of the region’s estates in size. Nevertheless, the methods have not changed; the vineyard remains one of the best-maintained in all of Bordeaux, and the wine continues to benefit from all of Jean-Luc Thunevin’s expertise.”