Weekdays, I’m more that happy with a bottle of Chorey Les Beaune.
Hi Folks,
The Drouhins only bottle the les Baudes parcel on its own in top vintages, as it becomes the cornerstone of the Chambolle 1er Cru bottling in less than the very finest years. The family feels that when all of the other constituent components in the Premier Cru bottling are spot on, they can afford to let the Baudes stand on its own, but in more typical years, they want it to be the core of the Premier Cru. That is why you do not see it every year.
While the top red wine cuvees are very well known from the Drouhins: Musigny, les Amoureuses, Griotte, Grands Echezeaux and Clos des Mouches, there are a plethora of other top wines that are as good as any in their appellations that are not as widely recognized for their superb quaity. At the grand cru level, the Clos de Beze is consistently stunning, as is the Bonnes-Mares (for those craving Christophe Roumier’s Bonnes-Mares and not finding it as often as they used, the Drouhin is cut from exactly the same cloth), Clos St. Denis, Corton “Bressandes” and Clos Vougeot (in my top four or five for the entire vineyard). At the premier cru level, one of the real sleepers is the Nuits St. Georges “Proces” (all elegance, black fruit and beautiful signature of terroir) and the Beaune “Greves”, which is every bit as fine as the Clos des Mouches and often languishes a bit longer in the pipeline. The Morey St. Denis “Clos Sorbes” is also outstanding and a must find for old Jackie Truchot fans. They are also now making stellar examples of Savigny-les-Beaune- the Clos Godeaux is a beautifully-situated lieu a dit up above les Lavieres and of premier cru quality every year (think of it as the Roulot Tessons of Savigny rouge) and their Savigny “Fourneaux” is also absolutely classic. Starting in 2012 there is also now a Gevrey “Lavaux St. Jacques” that is quintessential Drouhin in its classic expression of terroir and great refinement. And as mentioned above, the Chorey-les-Beaune is a great bargain for everyday red Burg, and I also very much like the Cote de Beaune rouge and blanc bottlings, which are about as good a value as one can find in Burgundy. The family has also really been ramping up the quality of their village wines in the last handful of vintages and I really like their Gevrey AC, Pommard AC and Chambolle AC.
On the white wine side, the Clos des Mouches Blanc is grand cru quality in my book year in and year out, their Folatieres is always excellent, the Chassagne “Morgeot” from Laguiche is a baby Montrachet, the Corton-Charlemagne is better than ever, they have a new Criots-Batard that is stunning, and I have really liked what they have donen with their entire lineup of Chablis premier and grand crus in the last decade- the premier crus are real bargains. And their flagship Chablis AC from Domaine de Vaudon is classic, stainless steel Chablis and another superb bargain. Other white wines for everyday that I really like are their Montagny blanc (there is also a premier cru bottling of this on occasion- equally superb), Macon-Lugny and Pouilly-Vinzelles are all very complex and zesty wines that clearly show the Drouhin savoire-faire. As has been the case with the red AC bottlings, there has been a real step up with the village whites from Meursault, Chassagne and Puligny in the last four or five years and they can offer excellent value as well.
All the Best,
John
Postscript-
I should have added that for folks in European markets, the St. Veran is a very fine everyday drinking, but sadly, those of us in the states get stuck with that wine under screwcap and it is simply not in the same league of quality after it undergoes its preparation for the screw.
For everyday drinking I love their Cote de Nuits/Beaune Villages, Cote de Beaune Rouge and Chorey…
2009 village wines were a revelation, they nailed the vintage. Vosne, Chambolle, Volnay and Gevrey are superb. 2009 Chambolle premier cru is really good and a QPR considering the juice in that bottle.
Clos St. Denis, Clos Vougeot, Amoureuses and Bonnes Mares are sublime. I had the 2005 CV last year and it was delicious. The 1999 Clos St. Denis I bought for $109 back in the day, what a wine!
I have never had a bad Drouhin wine and I’m a huge fan…
John, what’s done differently for wines destined for bottling under screwcaps?
I was pleased to read that you and Leah like their Clos St. Denis since it’s my sole Drouhin (so far); it’s a 2005, though, so I assume it will need more time.
I would add to the pile on the CM 1er cru. The 1990 was the first vintage of this wine I bought, and it was just a stunner.
That being said, I only buy the low level wines and an occasional Clos des Mouches because of the pricing. Maybe John knows this, but I think Robert intentionally kept the wines more affordable in the US for many years because he had a soft spot for his US connections, or he felt that it was an important market to maintain. I could be totally wrong about this, but I remember having this discussion at some point with either someone in the family, or JP Cropsol (sp?). Obviously this policy has gone by the wayside.
This 1000%.
It wasn’t more than 2 years ago where you could find back vintages of their musigny for sub $300. Those days, long gone =(
This was my value list as well. At the high end, love the Griotte, Amoureuses and Bonnes Mares. I recently got ahold of some Clos Vougeot - a Drouhin wine I have never had before - so I am glad to hear it is held in high regard amongst both Drouhin’s holdings and the village itself.
1 Like
John, some of my favourites there, particularly the NSG Proces and the Beaune Greves. I’m especially delighted that you rate the Corton Bressandes as I’ve barely heard of this wine let alone tasted it but have just taken a gamble on some old vintages.
Great info John - you’re making me thirsty!
#1 = Musigny
#2 = Amoureuses
Hi John,
I think that the very reasonable Drouhin pricing of the past was as much a reflection of the market’s perception of their wines as it was a Drouhin policy, as I have not really seen a major philosophical change regarding pricing from the family. What I have seen and view as the primary engine driving up their prices so sharply in the last half dozen years (and I have a lot of Drouhin grand cru in my cellar from the '80s, '90s and early '00s, but felt effectively pushed out with the 2005 vintage as well) was a long-overdue understanding throughout the high end Burgundy market of just how superb the wines have been for so long, and that they were to be ranked right up there at the pinnacle of quality in Burgundy. This coincided with the release of the 2005s in the market, which were sharply up in price due primarily to merchants taking very long margins on the wines (rather than Drouhin policy changes) to push them up to the same price levels of comparably top-notch Burgundies (the Drouhins were not the only domaine to see their 2005s trade hands at astronomical price jumps from previous top vintages). The 2005 vintage was also a watershed for a large number of new, well-heeled collectors truly starting to discover Burgundy for the first time with the '05s and who did not bat an eye at the new tariffs demanded for the top wines, so you have a confluence of a new, wealthy clientele and aggressive pricing by merchants creating the perfect storm for stiff price rises. Like many domaines in Burgundy, after witnessing very large piles of money being made on their 2005s by merchants, the Drouhins raised prices with their 2006s to close some of the gap between the current market prices and their previous ex-cellar prices, and this has continued on as a trend ever since.
But, I get a sense that the Burgundy cultural landscape vis a vis pricing is changing these days and this does not augur well for pricing levels for future great vintages such as the 2012s when they reach the market next year. For many, many decades, there was a culture of avoiding the “boom and bust” vintage pricing cycle that is all too familiar to those who buy and sell Bordeaux, as until very recently, Burgundy still had a sizable generation who had no difficulties remembering the very lean days of the interval between the two world wars and the still very, very soft market in the early post-war years. This mentality was very much in evidence in consistent pricing levels from vintage to vintage- with price increases usually brought upon more by scarcity than perceptions of quality- and a desire on the part of the Burgundians to spread out their clientele through multiple markets and take other steps to minimize risk in terms of potential customer loss. In the 1980s, when I first began visiting and tasting in Burgundy, there were a great many people still in Burgundy that had no difficulties remembering back to the days when the domaines had few clients and little market for their wines and life was very much at a subsistence level in the region for all save a few of the most successful negociants and larger domaines with great holdings. If this was not a direct memory of the generation then in charge at the domaines, in many cases, their parents who had lived through that era were still very much alive and involved in the family businesses, so the institutional memory of those very lean days was pervasive. Thirty years on, the generation who personally lived through the nadir of the Burgundy market in the '30s, '40s and '50s are mostly no longer with us and the last twenty years have been very good to the Burgundians, so the mentality towards pricing now is different. We shouild also note that there are an awful lot more people visiting the region and begging for allocations, as the demand for Burgundy has grown exponentially, so there is no shortage of clients for top vintages- even as the pricing levels march up to unheard of levels in the last few years. The landscape is changed- probably permanently- and I am not trying to defend the changes- simply recognize the historical factors at work making prices so unsavory these days for the most prized terroirs and producers. One can still find lots of really fine Burgundy at fair prices in the less favorable villages (I shop a hell of a lot more in Savigny and Auxey these days than I do Chambolle and Gevrey), but the “rock star” terroirs now come at Tiffany pricing, and I fear that this is not going to change any time soon.
All the Best,
John
Le Petit Monts is a fantastic wine. Even in weak vintages. A fantastic bouquet.
Thanks, John. I think you nailed it.
Hi Tom,
I have had some brilliant Corton “Bressandes” from the Drouhins and envy your having come upon a supply of older vintages- Enjoy!
All the Best,
John
Has there been a style change or changing of the guard at Drouhin over the recent years? Or does people’s love for the wines extend to all vintages?
Thanks,
Adam
Pretty much +1 but I did drink a ton of '09 CdN villages which was a fantastic value.
61 romanee st vivant in magnum
Thanks, John, for your reply. Sadly, I suspect you will be correct, and we may all one day wistfully remember the days when we could drink grand cru burgundy, as many folks now do with 1st growth Bordeaux.
With regard to the Drouhin pricing, I definitely do remember having a discussion with who I now think was JP Cropsol about Robert’s special efforts to accommodate the American market, but perhaps it was more about ensuring that the top wines that were made in tiny quantities would be available here rather than a pricing adjustment.