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maison-joseph-drouhin

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Joseph Drouhin

Overview

Major Beaune négociant with extensive domaine holdings. Run by the Drouhin family. Véronique Drouhin is a key spokesperson. Produces wines across Burgundy including Clos des Mouches monopole in Beaune, Musigny, and significant Côte de Beaune whites. Also produces Oregon Pinot Noir (Domaine Drouhin).

Appellations

Key Wines

(details to be added from source)

Style Notes

(details to be added from source)

2023 Burgundy Vintage Notes (VFTC #115)

Visited January 22, 2025 with Agathe Caro (Veronique Drouhin was ill with flu). Unusually, almost all 2023s still in barrel — Drouhin is normally one of the earliest bottlers. Agathe: “the wines have generally been quite slow to develop this year in barrel and the team feels almost all are still improving.” Veronique later emailed: “the 2023 vintage did benefit a lot from the elevage and we could see the wines taking on more ampleness, profoundness and precision as the months went by.” Harvest: Cote de Beaune chardonnay Sept 2, pinot noir Sept 4, Chablis Sept 8. Red wines mostly quite black fruity — “reminded me quite strongly of the red wines here from the 1993 vintage.” “Simply outstanding vintage at Maison Joseph Drouhin for both red and white wines!”

2023 Whites:

  • Montrachet “Marquis de Laguiche”: 98 pts (2031–2075) — “pure magic in the making!”; “a great, great wine”
  • Corton-Charlemagne (estate): 95 pts (2031–2070) — “great juice in the making”
  • Chablis “les Clos”: 95 pts (2027–2060) — barrel-fermented, zero new oak; “great juice”
  • Beaune “Clos des Mouches” Blanc: 94+ pts (2029–2060) — “grand cru weight and authority”
  • Chassagne “Morgeot” Marquis de Laguiche: 94+ pts (2025–2055) — great girdle of acidity
  • Meursault “Perrieres”: 94 pts (2028–2050+) — “really a beautiful wine”
  • Chablis “Mont de Milieu”: 93 pts (2025–2050) — “really very, very good in 2023!”
  • Meursault: 92 pts (2025–2050) — “one of the steals of the vintage”; impressive backend lift

2023 Reds:

  • Musigny: 97 pts (2042–2100) — quite black fruity; “great juice, but long-distance runner”
  • Chambertin “Clos de Beze”: 96 pts (2040–2100) — “beautiful bottle of young Clos de Beze!”
  • Chambolle “les Amoureuses”: 96 pts (2040–2100) — “hauntingly beautiful young wine!”
  • Griotte-Chambertin: 95+ pts (2040–2100) — quite black fruity; “great juice”
  • Vosne “les Petits Monts”: 95 pts (2039–2085+) — gorgeous; “brilliant wine”
  • Chambolle “Premier Cru”: 93+ pts (2037–2080) — “outstanding”; classically Chambolle
  • Beaune “Clos des Mouches” Rouge: 93+ pts (2036–2080) — sappy black fruit
  • Beaune “les Cras”: 93 pts (2034–2075+) — “beautiful bottle in the making!”; 50+ year vines
  • Savigny “les Fourneaux”: 92 pts (2033–2075)
  • Gevrey-Chambertin: 91 pts (2033–2070)

2023 Mâconnais/Chalonnaise and Beaujolais Notes (VFTC #116)

Drouhin is a leading source of quality Mâconnais and Beaujolais wines. Véronique Drouhin noted they harvested at night in the Mâconnais in 2023 for the first time, to keep fruit cool during the late August/early September heat spike.

Mâconnais/Chalonnaise Whites 2023:

  • Montagny “Premier Cru” — 93 pts; 2025–2045. Consistently Gilman’s favorite Drouhin Chalonnaise white.
  • Rully Blanc — 92 pts; 2025–2040. “Excellent Rully!”
  • Mâcon-Bussières “les Clos” — 92 pts; 2025–2040. Bottled with long single punch corks (same as top Côte d’Or crus from the domaine). “First class Mâcon!”
  • Mâcon-Lugny “les Crays” — 91+ pts; 2025–2040
  • Saint-Véran — 91 pts; 2025–2035+. Notable step up in quality.
  • Mâcon-Villages — 89 pts; 2025–2030
  • Beaujolais-Villages — 90 pts; 2025–2035

Beaujolais Crus 2023:

  • Moulin-à-Vent — 94 pts; 2031–2075. Classic; 13.5%; beautiful balance. “A proper bottle of 2023 Moulin-à-Vent.”
  • Morgon — 93 pts; 2031–2075+. “Perfectly classical example.” 13%; outstanding.
  • Brouilly — 92 pts; 2025–2045. “Very good bottle of Brouilly.” 13%.
  • Saint-Amour — 90+ pts; 2028–2045. Needs 3–4 years in cellar.
  • Fleurie — 89+ pts; 2028–2045. 14.5%; uncharacteristically structured for young Fleurie.

2024 Vintage Notes

Visited January 2026. Véronique Drouhin quoted extensively: 2024 vintage best yields in Côte de Beaune; style similar to 1985.

2022 Vintage Notes (VFTC #114)

Mature bottle notes from Gilman’s cellar tastings, winter 2024:

  • 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin villages: 89 pts (2027–2060) — “quite stylish; good, plump example of 2020; trace of backend alcohol keeps score down a notch”
  • 1993 Beaune “Clos des Mouches” Blanc: 93 pts (2023–2040) — “still fresh and vibrant; at apogee; fully mature for at least 20 years but cruising beautifully”
  • 1988 Beaune “Clos des Mouches” Blanc: 92 pts (2023–2035+) — “similar to 1993 but further along arc; remaining fresh and complex with additional nuttiness”
  • 1985 Beaune “Cuvée Maurice Drouhin” (Hospices de Beaune): 92+ pts (2024–2050) — “at its apogee; plenty of life still ahead”
  • 1962 Musigny: 100 pts (2023–2050) — “every bit as magical as 17 years ago; still decades of life ahead.” Gilman previously predicted best by 2020.

Also noted: 2020 Chablis “Réserve de Vaudon” (Drouhin-Vaudon): 91 pts (2023–2040) — “bright, complex and wide open; drinks so well right now”

2024 Vintage Notes (Burghound #102)

Veronique Drouhin: “a growing season that required constant attention to detail in the vineyards.” Pinot yields only 4 hl/ha in Cote de Nuits, 15–20 hl/ha in Cote de Beaune. Chambolle worst affected — “yields were next to nothing” in Musigny and Amoureuses. Potential alcohols 11.5–12.5%. Many wines blended or not presented (Corton-Bressandes, Vosne Petits Monts). Drouhin: wines are “fresh, precise and wines of finesse and refinement, even delicate in some cases.”

2024 Scores (barrel):

  • Chambolle-Musigny “1er” (blend of 6–7 1ers): (91-93) — “excellent Chambolle 1er”; notably better mid-palate density; evident minerality
  • Corton: (90-93) — from a blend of several climats
  • Beaune “Clos des Mouches” 1er: (90-92)
  • Beaune “Cras” 1er: (89-92) — “good stuff and built-to-age”
  • Santenay “Gravieres” 1er: (89-91) — drink well young or age 4–7 years
  • Chambolle-Musigny (villages): (89-91) — “classic Chambolle”; worth checking out
  • Vosne-Romanee (villages): (89-91) — “very Vosne in character”; worth considering
  • Vosne-Romanee “1er” (Petits Monts, Malconsorts, Chaumes): (89-92)
  • Gevrey-Chambertin: (88-91)
  • Savigny-les-Beaune: (87-89)
  • Cote de Beaune: (87-89)

My Tastings

(none yet)

Sources

  • sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2025 #115.txt
  • sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2026 #121.pdf
  • sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Nov-Dec 2024 #114.txt (pages 14–16, 25, 37–38)
  • sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC March-April 2025 #116.txt (pp. 19–24, 61, 87, 91, 101–102)
  • sources/articles/Burghound/Burghound Issue 102 - 2024 and 2023 Cote de Beaune Reds.txt

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