So there are 3 large negociants that sell in the US, Jadot, Bouchard, and Drouhin. All have Domaine holdings too.
Let me start by saying they all make good to great wines at different levels from Macon/Bojo to Grand Cru, both white and red.
So to my point, I sell Jadot, I don’t sell Bouchard or Drouhin, but they get very little love in the PNW. I see more Drouhin, and very little Bouchard up here, and although they all make wines from the some of the same villages, vineyards, and Grand Crus, some Domaine holdings, some not, I hear time and again the Drouhin is just easier to drink young and Jadot has too much structure or is too austere young to sell to consumers up here.
My question(s) are, what do you see where you live, which is you favorite negociant, and why? Does structure scare you, are you looking for readily accessible Burgundy from a negoc versus a domaine?
Do you look at these producers as negociants regardless of it being a domaine bottling or purchased fruit? Do you look at them as inferior as a result of their holdings, labels, and depth in their portfolios?
Are there go to wines in each portfolio you see as strengths?
Thanks in advance, look forward to hearing some discussion, and I have no “right” answers in my head but am looking for some perspective as I sit here sipping a Jadot 2009 Beaune 1er Clos des Ursules.
My question(s) are, what do you see where you live,
(I live in Sacramento)
Drouhin and Jadot. Mostly low-end for Drouhin. More 1ers and Grand Crus from Jadot. There used to be more Bouchard but none now.
which is you favorite negociant, and why?
By far Drouhin. I find that there style is more elegant than many in Burgundy and I like the style. I also like that they drink well young yet age well too. I do think they aren’t quite as good starting in 2006 though but maybe I’m imagining things.
I also have alot of Jadot. Mostly because of some great values that I just couldn’t pass up.
Does structure scare you?
Structure doesn’t scare me. I don’t even really try and drink Jadot young anymore unless Im just really curious.
are you looking for readily accessible Burgundy from a negoc versus a domaine?
I don’t really seperate negoc from domaine in my mind, so no.
Do you look at these producers as negociants regardless of it being a domaine bottling or purchased fruit?
I just think of everyone as a producer. I don’t descriminate on size or bought vs grown fruit.
Do you look at them as inferior as a result of their holdings, labels, and depth in their portfolios?
Not at all. They all have awsome holdings.
Are there go to wines in each portfolio you see as strengths?
I like Jadot for good value 1ers and grand crus (and QPR beaunes)
I like Drouhin the most from elegant terroirs such as Volnay, Chambolle, Petite Monts, etc.
I don’t really buy or drink Bouchard anymore so I don’t have an opinion.
I don’t think Jadot makes Petit Monts, but their Volnays need age, not real fun young, and Chambolle’s are rough young, including Baudes, Fuèes,and Amoureusses.
In your experience are Drouhin’s more accessible young? I really like their village level wines but have ever had aged versions.
I think the problem in the PNW is that there are fewer pinot drinkers here, most Wa State wines are Cabs, Merlot and Syrah and the general population other than wine geeks don’t have a clue what Burgundy or Bordeaux is.
FWIW, I did import Leo here last Spring so a lot of Jadot was drunk.
Its was Drouhin’s Volanys, Petite Monts and Chambolles that I was referencing as elegant but I actually own a 2006 Jadot Petites Monts so I know that they at least made one in that year. I got it from an auction I think.
Way way more in my subjective opinion.
The oldest villages Ive had from Drouhin was 2002* (which were really good) I think but Ive had far older 1ers and Grand Crus that were stunning in their beauty and elegance.
I was just about to hit submit and I remembered that I had a 2000 Drouhin Pommard that was good but a but astringent on the finish.
Here in SoCal, I have pretty good access to all three. I buy mainly Jadot 1er & GC reds with a tiny amount of Bouchard whites. I don’t think of them any less being big negotiant houses. I feel they offer great prices vis-a-vis compared to the critically acclaimed domaines, especially when they’re being blown out in a sale. Truth be told, I really only buy them if the price is right, whereas I might spend the going retail rate for Domaines with smaller productions cuz of availability issues. Also, while I think they all make good to great wine, there’s always a Domaine that I feel makes a better version from that specific vineyard and I usually don’t mind spending the extra coin for that producer.
Steve is exactly right about the Seattle market. We barely see any depth in California Pinot let alone Burgundy. It seems like Drouhin is the most prevalent of the three here in town, so it ends up being my favorite. Something that mystified me forever when I first started reading the board was how people on the east coast and in California could collect certain Burgundy producers as I was used to wine in Seattle which is walk in the shop, see an ocean of Wa wine, then check out the tiny import section and settle for what the restaurants didn’t take.
I can speak to Jadot, not others, but their Chevalier Demoiselles, Clos St Denis, Bonnes Mares, Musigny, Chambertin and Clos de Beze, Clos St. Jacques, Amoureuses, and Cortons (White and Red), Permand-Verglesses, Savigny Les Beaunes, and Beaune’s are up there with any producer from the same Cru. Better, maybe, as good, definitely.
On the flip side, not a big fan of their Ech, Lavaux and Estournelles St. Jacques, Charmes and a couple other reds.
As to the Drouhin being more approachable, how to broach that, taste Jadot with decanting and tell consumers this has been open 12 hours, etc…!!!
Well I think both Drouhin and Jadot need alot of air to show well, but even with the air I find Jadot somewhat firm and the oak show more prominantly for me. So IMHO Jadot is for people who are willing to age their burgs the years or decades that are required. My experience is that while drouhin also needs air to get the fruit awake, its more pleasureable at that point to drink when young. This of course is all very subjective.
Jadot does make Petits Monts but it’s a negociant bottling for them and not one of their better bottlings or one of the better Petits Monts.
I have bought lots from the “big 3” Beaune negociants but I don’t buy Drouhin anymore on account of price, nor Bouchard anymore on account of oak. Jadot has become the producer I own more of than any other because they’ve kept their prices consumer-friendly and the style classic. But I do stick to the domaine bottlings.
What about Faiveley? Latour? I don’t say that out of any particular preference for those, but they seem negotiants sold in the US that are at least comparable in size to those you listed.
I have had mostly good luck with Jadot. I like some of the lower level Faiveley, such as the Mercureys, and find them to be good value. Some good luck with Bouchard as well. I have hardly had any Drouhin wines.
A tasting of Maison Champy 2009s recently showed some decent wines, but the ripe vintage and young age made it a bit hard for me to really assess them beyond to say that they were young and forward and nothing I needed to have, but seemed solid enough. I get the idea that they are actually a fairly large house too but fell into anonymity and disrepair.
I live in MO, where we see Jadot, some Faiveley, some Bouchard I think. (and Latour and Champy). We may see some of the Drouhin wines here but then I’ve only really seen isolated bottles so there may not be current distribution.
Love all three. Also Faiveley which might be making the best wine of any of them right now.
Others I enjoy are Champy and older Latours. These are much different styles of wine.
Drouhin is a maker of feminine wines. Delicate. Some are at the very highest level. Jadot is made for the long haul. Much more structure but when mature provide tons of pleasure. If the whites didn’t oxidize, this would be a go to source for negociant whites. The newer Bouchards are made in a balanced style. More wood on them than Jadot or Drouhin but these wines can really shine with a few years in the bottle. Some very nice stuff coming out of there. Faiveley now is producing some of the best. The texture is silkier now. Less tannin that takes forever to recede. Terrific property too.
The newer Latours I do not like personally. They are huge in volume and don’t really have the detail and spark that I love about Burgundy. Very old ones can be nice. They again don’t have the kind of texture and depth to me that the best from the others show. I wait eagerly to be proved wrong about this however. FWIW.
My personal portfolio bests…
Drouhin
Musigny
Chambolle Amoureuses
Grands Echezeaux
Griottes Chambertin
Vosne Romanee Petit Monts
Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge et Blanc
Jadot
Chevalier Demoiselles
Corton Charlemagne
Chambertin Clos de Beze
Gevrey Clos St Jacques
Beaune Clos des Ursules
Faiveley
Musigny (I can’t find nor afford this stuff however)
Chambertin Clos de Beze
Corton Clos des Cortons
Latricieres Chambertin
Chambolle Fuees
Bouchard
Corton Charlemagne
Meursault Perrieres
Grands Echezeaux
Bonne Mares
Volnay Ancien Carnots
Beaune Enfant Jesus
Drouhin at one point represented about 80% of my Burgundy purchases. I loved most of their wines, they aged beautifully and they were stunning value for the money. With the recent escalation in price my purchases have sadly declined to almost nothing. It was a little disconcerting to read Berry’s comment about a possible recent drop in quality and realize that I did not have any experience to confirm or deny that possibility as the few bottles I’ve bought have gone straight to storage. To the best of my recollection the only post-2002 Drouhin I’ve tasted is a 2007 Petite Monts - though that was certainly very good and one of the better wines I’ve had from the vintage.
I’ve started buying more Jadot recently, especially with the excellent pricing on the 2008s but generally limited to some of my favorites - though knowing Leo makes it easier to identify more such favorites .
I have limited experience with recent Bouchard but the few I’ve had haven’t really inspired me to explore further.
I like the wines from all three producers a lot. I am buying more and more Jadot red wines over time (which may be a mistake only because I am getting older and the wines take time). But, they are really good. Very powerful impressive wines with a lot of structure. The wines are excellent values as well, esp. in 2007 and 2008. I am not as wild about their whites, which I find more inconsistent.
I also like the wines from Drouhin and Bouchard a good bit also. I don’t buy as much of them, but that is largely because I don’t see as much of their wines around here. Drouhin is equally good for red and white. I recently had a 2002 PM Folatieres that was simply beautiful.
Bouchard’s whites are really good, but their reds are underrated by a lot of people. I like their wines as well.
I’ve had very little experience with Drouhins or with Bouchards, other than some very lovely Bouchard whites. I’ve got lots and lots of '02 red Jadots, which I pigged out on basically because of a killer '96 Jadot CdB (rushed out and bought a bunch of those) that I bought for an OL with Howard Cooper, Maureen Nelson, Kevin Shin, et al. a number of years ago. The red Jadots I’ve tried have been uniformly very nice.
I buy Rugiens, Corton-Pougets, and Pernand Clos de la Croix de Pierre every year. Clos des Ursules most years and occasionally one or more of the other Beaunes; I should probably add Volnay Clos de la Barre to that list. Echezeaux, Bonnes Mares, or Clos de Beze if there’s a good sale. And of course Ch. des Jacques in good Beaujolais years.
If there is any at all it is very small. Ive had some really nice wines in the last month or so such as 2006 Volnay, 2006 Clos Vougeot (its really good now!) and 2008 Chambolle Musigny. Ive also LOVED the 2009 Beajolais lineup. Ive also had some surprisingly weird ones like 2007 CM 1er which had more oak char than Ive ever had in a Drouhin.
FWIW I am aware that the winemaker changed in 2006 which caused me a small amout of concearn when I read it so I could be over reacting to wines that were in akward stages or had bottle shock when I tried them.
.