Jean-Luc Thunevin, affectionately known as the Saint Emilion Bad Boy, famous for creating the original Garage wine; Château Valandraud is also a wine consultant in Bordeaux and further afield.
His philosophy gleaned from experience and experiment caught the eye of M. Fayat 3 years ago who asked him to oversee the running of his Châteaux : Château La Dominique (Saint-Emilion Grand cru Classé), Château La Commanderie de Mazeyres and Château Prieurs de la Commanderie in Pomérol and Château Clément-Pichon in the Haut Médoc ,
Jean-Luc hosted us for a dinner at Château La Dominque to explain the changes that are taking place under his management. It was a fascinating discovery of what a difference a few years can make. The trio 2006, 2007, 2008 showed a gradula increase in quality, power certainly, but not at the expense of elegance.
Jean-Luc’s objective is to return La Dominique to its former glory of the eighties. With dinner we tasted the 2003, 1998 and the mythical 1989. One to follow.

Château La Dominique, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé