Drouhin Laroze

Drouhin-Laroze is a great domaine re-born. Set up in 1919 when Suzanne, the daughter of Jean-Baptiste Laroze, married Alexandre Drouhin. Her father’s Gevrey-Chambertin and her husband’s Chambolle-Musigny estates were united to form Drouhin-Laroze, a domaine that has been exploiting the Côte de Nuits’ best vineyards ever since. After sharing the winemaking with his father in 2000, Philippe Drouhin took full control of the vineyard and winery from the 2001 vintage, beginning the re-incarnation of this great Burgundian domaine. As of ths 2017 vintage Philippe's son and daughter, Caroline and Nicolas, have taken the reins and as a result the domaine looks set to reach even higher levels of quality. Judicious use of whole bunch ferments, depending on the vineyard and vintage, and a more closely managed oak barrel regime designed to reduce oak impact on the wines, are just two noticeable enhancements that have given the wines greater clarity and personality.

2017 Vintage

Caroline and Nicolas Drouhin were delighted with the “incredible” health of the crop and the wines it resulted in, but noted “we had to fight against over-producing, we had a lot of green harvesting to do but we are so glad we did this, we could not have achieved this quality otherwise.” They also felt being patient and not rushing to pick before grapes were fully ripe was key, too. Harvest began on the 6th September and finished on the 15th. The new Drouhin generation has already proved over the last couple of vintages that they can hit the qualitative heights, with 2017 and its new challenges they have proved their adaptability, desire and motivation to keep improving. This year whole bunch fermentation has been scaled back a little, many of the wines are de-stalked until you get up to Grand Cru level, where 25% whole bunches are used. The Domaine’s resurgence continues.

2018 Vintage

Nicolas and Caroline Drouhin are dynamic, constantly improving quality and adopting an increasingly flexible, bespoke approach to winemaking according to the needs of vineyard and vintage. They have brought nuance, intensity and expression to the wines since taking over. In 2018 they continued with their belief in whole-bunch fermentation, employing around 30% whole-bunch fermentation for most of the wines, while completely destalking the Lavaut, En Champs and Clos de Vougeot. Harvest started here relatively early, on the 1st September and lasted 12 days. The fact that in a warm, dry vintage such as 2018 they have managed to deliver wines of high-tone and precision is huge testament to the progress they have been making. These display the warmth and generosity of the vintage but with plenty of detail, definition and individual character. A domaine that continues to earn its spurs.

List View
    SHOWING 0 OF 0
    items to load
    21

    specifications

    country:
    France
    region:
    Burgundy
    Appellation
    style:
    Grape Variety