Joseph Drouhin Winery, or by its full name Maison Joseph Drouhin, operates in the town of Beaune in Burgundy and is considered one of the most important wineries in the region. It has been owned by the Drouhin family since 1880 and also operates as a “negociant”, meaning it purchases grapes from other wineries and produces wine from them, alongside the wines it produces from its own vineyards. In addition, the family established a winery in Oregon, United States. Drouhin owns vineyards in all the key areas of Burgundy – from Chablis through Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune and Cote Chalonnaise.
Drouhin wines are considered classics of their kind, in all production categories, and are perceived as faithfully reflecting the region. Looking for a classic, typical Chablis, look for Drouhin (or “Drua”, as it is pronounced in French). The wines are very elegant, traditional and allow all the qualities, not to mention the splendor, embedded in the soils of the region to be present.
In the current tasting: Very good entry-level wines, two particularly successful Chablis and one elevated and excellent wine – Savigny les Beaune. All are classics and all are highly worthy. Their pricing is good and up. Wonderful for winter sipping. Cheers!
Joseph Drouhin, Bourgogne Aligote 2024
100% Aligote grapes from Burgundy. 5–7 months aging in stainless steel tanks. Greenish-golden color. On the nose: White fruit and citrus. Light–medium body. 12.5% alcohol by volume.
How much? NIS 89.
Critic’s note: Aligote is ostensibly the less prestigious variety in the Burgundy/Chablis sector. Precisely for that reason, if you encounter wines that come from the right vineyards and the right wineries, you can find bargains for much less money. The current Aligote has highly respectable fruit, acidity, aromatic and minerality coefficients. It suits a variety of seafood dishes and is truly worth the money.
Value for money: 4/5 (Very good).
Joseph Drouhin, Macon Village 2024
Chardonnay grapes from Macon Village in Burgundy. Low yields, gentle crushing and spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts. 6–8 months aging in stainless steel tanks. Golden color. On the nose: Citrus and floral notes. Medium body. 12.5% alcohol by volume.
How much? NIS 119.
Critic’s note: Chardonnay from Macon, holding good fruit, not overly loaded, sharpness and precision, a mineral tone and even delicate hints of salinity. Good and more for sipping alongside seafood, oysters and white meats. Aging window of at least three years.
Value for money: 3.5/5 (Good).
Drouhin Vaudon, Pinot Noir 2022
Pinot Noir grapes from vineyards in Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune, Burgundy. 3 weeks fermentation on the natural yeasts. Part of the wine spent 7–8 months in stainless steel tanks and the other part in one- to two-year-old oak barrels. Ruby red color. On the nose: Red fruit. Light–medium body. 13% alcohol by volume.
How much? NIS 119.
Critic’s note: An entry-level Pinot Noir from truly celebrated villages (Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune). A wine that manages very successfully to hold lightness alongside complexity; that has lovely fruit without fruity overload and also enjoyable freshness. Not an important wine but one that can be sipped in any situation alongside charcuterie and cheeses; alongside carpaccio or beef tartare, and even alongside minute steak.
Value for money: 3.5/5 (Good).
Drouhin Vaudon, Chablis 2024
Chardonnay grapes from vineyards in Chablis, Burgundy. Low yields. Slow crushing, 7 months in large tanks. Greenish-golden color. On the nose: Citrus and spices. Medium body. 12% alcohol by volume.
How much? NIS 119.
Critic’s note: Entry-level Chablis, completely classic, almost generic in the positive sense. It has all the familiar DNA of Chablis wines, from citrus and spices, through the typical acidity and minerality, salinity and the relatively long finish. Excellent wine at an excellent price, with a high culinary coefficient, that will accompany fish, seafood, oysters and also white meat.
Value for money: 4/5 (Very good).
Joseph Drouhin, Chablis Reserve de Vaudon 2022
Chardonnay grapes from vineyards at the Vaudon estate in Chablis, Burgundy. One year aging in old oak barrels. Golden color. On the nose: White fruit and citrus. Medium–full body. 12.5% alcohol by volume.
How much? NIS 139.
Critic’s note: A higher-level Chablis, in which one cannot fail to feel the influence of the significant aging it underwent. Wonderful fruit, significant, precise acidity, abundant salinity and dominant minerality. A wine that holds noticeable complexity, crispness and precision. Wonderful alongside oysters, lobster, seafood and pork-based dishes, as well as hard and semi-hard cheeses. A delight.
Value for money: 4/5 (Very good).
Joseph Drouhin, Savigny les Beaune 2019
Pinot Noir grapes from two hills in Savigny les Beaune, north of the village of Beaune in Burgundy. Hand harvest. 12–15 months aging in oak barrels. Crimson red color. On the nose: Red and purple fruit. Medium body. 13.5% alcohol by volume.
How much? NIS 289.
Critic’s note: This is indeed “Savigny at the beginning of its path, which several years of aging under proper storage conditions will turn into something far more complex, and yet, the enjoyment it generates upon sipping is already very great now. Wonderful fruit, pleasant acidity, enjoyable spice touches, unburdensome lightness and tremendous elegance. The gastronomic coefficient, of course, is very high. Drinking window up to seven years, given proper storage conditions. A truly excellent wine.
Value for money: 3.5/5 (Certainly good in the context of the reference group).