Aurélien Valance to lead Château Margaux from 1 December 2026
The current deputy managing director will succeed the retiring Philippe Bascaules, who will remain a consultant on key winemaking decisions.
Aurélien Valance will become managing director of Château Margaux on 1 December 2026. He will succeed Philippe Bascaules, who is retiring but will continue to advise the estate on key winemaking decisions.1
Valance joined Château Margaux as an intern in 2001, became commercial director in 2006 and has served as deputy managing director for sales and operations since 2016. His appointment follows other recent leadership changes: Corinne Mentzelopoulos retired as chief executive of the estate’s holding company around 3 years ago, while Benjamin Vimal joined as technical and operations director in May 2026.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
