Thursday, November 3, 2016

Visit and Tasting: Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours, France

Picture: Tasting at Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune

We visited Maison Joseph Drouhin, right in the center of Beaune, and had a tasting comprising 6 wines.

Maison Joseph Drouhin

Originally from the Yonne department, Joseph Drouhin founded the négociant company which bears his name in 1880. His son Maurice took over in 1918, buying the first vineyards including the famous Beaune Clos des Mouches. Maurice Drouhin was a significant personality in Beaune, sitting on the INAO committee and acting as Deputy Administrator of the Hospices de Beaune, including during the troubled period of World War II.

Pictures: 1 Cour du Parlement de Bourgogne, Maison Joseph Drouhin

His successor was his nephew and adopted heir Robert Jeausset-Drouhin who took charge in 1957.

Today, the fourth generation is at the helm. Robert Jeausset-Drouhin Drouhin now retains a surveillance role while his children Frédéric (managing director), Laurent (export markets), Philippe (vineyards) and Véronique (oenology and Domaine Drouhin Oregon) run the business.

Pictures: At Maison Joseph Drouhin

With its 73 hectares, the Joseph Drouhin Domaine is one of the largest estates in the region. It owns vineyards all over Burgundy: Chablis (38 hectares), Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, (32 hectares), Côte Chalonnaise (3 hectares). It is comprised of a majority of Premier and Grand Crus. With close to 90 different appellations, Joseph Drouhin offers a fascinating array of Burgundy terroirs.

Twenty years after Philippe Drouhin first began introducing organic practices, Maison Joseph Drouhin was awarded organic certification for all vineyards it owns, beginning with the 2009 vintage.

Long-time oenologist Laurence Jobard, engaged by Robert Drouhin in 1973, retired after the 2005 vintage and was replaced by Jérome Faure-Brac, a trained oenologist previously with Bichot, while Véronique Drouhin remains on hand to provide continuity of style.

A balance of tradition and modern techniques characterizes Maison Joseph Drouhin’s winemaking and vineyard management: on site nursery, plowing, leaf removal, 100% hand harvesting, open fermenters, fermenting and aging in oak.

The red wines are pre-macerated at 13-15º Celsius, with a very light punching down at the start followed by alternating punching down and pumping over, depending also on the needs of the vintage. The aim is to privilege the fruit in the wine, and to this end bottling is earlier than for most producers.

Tour

We enjoyed a guided tour through Beaune’s most ancient cellars followed by the tasting of 6 emblematic wines from Maison Joseph Drouhin.

At 1 Cour du Parlement de Bourgogne, the Maison Joseph Drouhin cellars are located right in the heart of Beaune.

These historic cellars cover approximately 1 hectare beneath the historic center of Beaune between the Hospice de Beaune and Notre-dame Church. These aren’t just ordinary cellars mind you; they have a bit of age on them. Once part of the original cellars of the Duke of Burgundy’s Parliament, they date back to the 13th century.

Pictures: In the Cellar

The Drouhin cellars read like a history book, with many architectural elements dating back to the 10th century. You’ll get a peek at a wine press from 1570 (still used to press grapes on occasion); and the Liberty Door through which Maurice Drouhin escaped from the Gestapo during World War II. Even the tasting room is walled in history –partially composed of an ancient Roman wall.

Pictures: Tasting

Of course you won’t be the first visitor to grace these cellars. America’s favorite oenophile, Thomas Jefferson, is said to have toured these finely mold covered spaces during his travels in France.

Tasting

We tasted 6 wines.


2011 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chablis Premier Cru
2009 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet
2011 Maison Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru
2012 Maison Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune
2008 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Damodes Premier Cru
1996 Maison Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos de Mouches

Pictures: At Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune

 Postings: Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours:From Lyon to Reims - Wine, Food, Culture and History (Published and Forthcoming Postings)

Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: From Lyon to Reims - Wine, Food, Culture and History

Dinner at a Bouchon - Chez Paul - in Lyon: Schiller’s Favorite Bouchons in Lyon, France

Introduction to the Burgundy Wine Region at Antic Wine in Lyon with Flying Sommelier Georges Dos Santos - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, Paul Bocuse’s Iconic Restaurant in Collonges­ au­ Mont­ d’Or, France - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours

In the Most Prestigious AOC in the Mâconnais: Pouilly-Fuissé, France

Vineyard Walk, Cellar Walk and Tasting at Domaine Ferret in Fuissé, Poully­ Fuissé, Mâconnais, with Winemaker Audrey Braccini - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours

Visit and Tasting at Domaine Georges Descombes in Vermont, Villié­-Morgon, Beaujolais - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Restaurant Le Mercurey in Mercurey - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

At Domaine Theulot­-Juillot in Mercurey, Côte Chalonnaise, with Nathalie Theulot - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour of Château de Rully and Tasting of Domaine du Château de Rully Wines, with Count Raoul de Ternay - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Michel Prunier & Fille in Auxey­ Duresses, Côte de Beaune - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Where Robert Parker likes to Eat: Lunch at La Crémaillère in Auxey-Duresses - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Walk in Meursault with Karoline Knoth - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at the 1 Michelin Star Restaurant Ed.Em in Chassagne Montrachet - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Olivier Leflaive in Puligny Montrachet: Vineyard Walk and Cellar Tour, with Olivier and Patrick Leflaive - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Lunch and Wine Tasting at La Table de Olivier in Puligny Montrachet with Olivier Leflaive – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Visit: Hospices de Beaune – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Lunch in a Typical French Brasserie: Le Carnot in Beaune - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours

Tour of the Ancient Cellars and Tasting at Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune, Côte de Beaune

Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne

An American in Burgundy: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Dublère in Savigny ­lès­ Beaune with Owner/ Winemaker Blair Pethel

Charcuterie and Cheese Paired with 12 Burgundy Wines at La Maison de Maurice in Beaune with Maurice Marle

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Faiveley in Nuits-­Saint­-George, Côte de Nuits

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Jean­-Jacques Confuron in Prémeaux­-Prissey Côte de Nuits with Louis Meunier

Lunch at Restaurant La Cabotte in Nuits-­Saint-­George

Visit and Tasting at Domaine Thibault Liger­-Belair in Nuits­-Saint­-George with Thibault Liger-­Belair

Visit of Château du Clos de Vougeot

Where the Most Expensive Red Wines Come from: Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Anne Gros in Vosne­-Romanée, Côte de Nuits

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Guillon & Fils in Gevrey­-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, with Jean-Michel Guillon

An Institution: Lunch at Restaurant Chez Guy in Gevrey­-Chambertin

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne­-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, with Alice Rion

Tour at the Fontenay Abbey (Bernard de Clairveau), Montbard

Wine Pairing Lunch, Cellar Visit, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domaine Jean­ Marc Brocard in Préhy, Chablis

Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and other Wine Venues in Chablis, France

Champagne – An Introduction, France

French Champagne Houses and German Roots 

Visit and Tasting at the Grower Champagne House Champagne Jean Josselin in Gyé­ sur ­Seine, Champagne, with Jean Pierre Josselin, his Wife and Sharona Tsubota

Cellar Visit and Tasting at the Champagner House AR Lenoble in Epernay, Champagne, with Export Manager Christian Holthausen

Cellar Visit and Tasting at the Champagner House Taittinger in Reims, Champagne

Lunch at Brasserie Flo in Reims

1 comment:

  1. We found your blog on Joseph Drouhin wine. We thought it was outstanding and wanted to share it with our audience which we thought would be our value to you. We are The Wine Cellarage, an online wine retailer that has developed a proprietary SipChain database technology to network the supply chain of the wine industry.

    Should you want to share our accolades for your wine expertise with your audience, here is a link. We hope we can stay in touch with you and visa-versa. Please feel free to reach out to us.
    https://winecellarage.com/

    ReplyDelete