I'm honest and have to admit, that I wasn't impressed at all with Jean Luc's Valandraud when I tasted it for the first time in Spring 1998. I think it was vintages 1995 and 1996. At that time, everybody spoke of garage wines, old guard of vignerons on the Left and Right Bank was left sleepless, looking at great reviews of Valandraud by Robert Parker. Jean-Luc Thunevin was called names like "black sheep" or "Bad Boy", for making technical wines without character of soil. This was at least what many wine-journalists including myself thought at that time. Looking back I confess, that I was too quick in judgement and forgot one important thing - you don't build Rom in one day, everything takes time and you can't put your personal style on wine being winemaker for short time.

The funny thing was that several old guard vignerons and younger ones critised Jean-Luc in '90s for bringing in new things in winemaking, and I remember one young one from famous property in Saint-Émilion saying , "I'll always make wine in traditional way, no new gimmicks and no copy of Valandraud style of winemaking, blah, blah", during my visit in 1996, and then reverting completely half a year later to modern style. I won't mention his name.

Then Valandraud and Jean-Luc wasn't my main priority to visit, due to f.i. obligation to write certain articles for wine-magazines and research on other properties, mainly in Pomerol.

First in 2007, I decided to revisit wines of Jean-Luc and tasted 2006-2005-2004 vintages of Valandraud. I was not only impressed by the stunning quality of these wines, but also of how much style and character of terroir these wines possessed. And this stunning quality has continued since then, which I've witnesed during my visits (twice a year) since 2007. I'm glad to have rediscovered Valandraud.

Jean-Luc Thunevin is a great wine personality with awesome sense of humour, blisteringly fast remarks and witty tongue. He passed his winemaking duties to his wife Murielle in 2007, chosing instead promotion of his wines around the world. Murielle's first vintage is 2008 and she told me during visit in April 2011, that Valandraud already was a complete wine thanks to Jean-Luc's winemaking skills before she stepped in, but she wanted to add more softness and richness to it, in which she's succeded extremely well. She already participated a lot during 2007 harvest, when she tried to learn as much as possible, working with her husband Jean-Luc, before taking over 100% for 2008 harvest. She wants to harvest late, when grapes have reached full phenolic ripeness. Woman touch - just taste vintages 2010-2009-2008!

She also oversees harvest and vinification of white wine. “White” vineyard is situated after the cellars of Chateau Fleur Cardinale and she started with white wine in 2003. Mr. Fakonellis (associated with Michel Rolland), who was consulting famous domains in Burgundy, is consulting here, and vinification is made after Burgundy method (batonnage de lie, etc).

Murielle is also a fabulous chef de cuisine and imho could work at any famous restaurant in the world. Everybody who's had the chance to participate in lunch/dinner at Murielle and Jean-Luc's home can confirm that.