Aurélien Valance to succeed Philippe Bascaules as managing director of Château Margaux

After almost 30 years at the estate, Philippe Bascaules will leave his post at the end of 2026. Aurélien Valance, currently deputy managing director responsible for sales and operations, will take over as managing director on 1 December.

Château Margaux has announced a transition in its senior management. Aurélien Valance will succeed Philippe Bascaules as managing director from 1 December 2026, while Bascaules will retire and leave his post at the end of the year. The appointment of someone who has spent two decades at the estate reflects its decision to draw on an established knowledge of its wines, teams and markets.

An agricultural engineer by training, Bascaules joined Château Margaux in 1990 as vineyard and estate manager, a position he held until 2011. He then spent five years leading a Napa Valley wine estate before returning to Margaux in March 2017 as managing director. Together, those two periods amount to almost 30 years at the property. His retirement from executive management will not end his involvement entirely: he will continue as a consultant for specific assignments during key technical stages, including the harvest, vinification and blending. He will work alongside Éric Boissenot, who has been a consultant oenologist to Château Margaux for 35 years.

Valance’s career is similarly closely tied to the estate. His first placement there was in 2001. After studying at HEC Paris and working in wine importing in New York, he returned in January 2006 as commercial director. He was appointed deputy managing director for sales and operations in 2016. The role has given him experience both in developing the estate’s markets and in its day-to-day operations. In 2017, he also won the French national blind-tasting championship.

Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos, co-owner and managing partner of Château Margaux, has presented the appointment as a continuation of the work undertaken by Bascaules. The estate has also highlighted the experience and complementary responsibilities of its technical team. Benjamin Vimal, who joined on 6 May 2026, is technical and operations director, overseeing work from the vineyard through to bottling. Blandine de Rouffignac has been at the estate since 2018 and is now director of research and development, leading experimental programmes that inform the evolution of its practices. This structure divides responsibility between overall management, technical operations and research, while allowing Bascaules to contribute at selected points in the winemaking process. Valance has said he intends to continue the work carried out with his predecessor and the wider team. The transition therefore places people already familiar with Château Margaux at its centre, while giving the incoming managing director responsibility for its next chapter.