Domaine Drouhin Laroze - Gevrey Chambertin

Domaine Drouhin Laroze is based in Gevrey Chambertin where it has holdings in many of the best 1er and Grand Cru vineyards as well as in Clos Vougeot, Musigny and Bonnes Mares. It is an old estate, first encountered in 1850 when Jean-Baptiste Laroze established a vineyard in Gevrey. The Drouhin side of the name was added in 1919 when Alexandre Drouhin (who had vineyards in Chambolle) married Suzanne Laroze.

Phillipe Drouhin Laroze is the present owner and winemaker, and he avoids the use of chemical fertilisers where possible. He limits yields, even in prolific years, and employs wine-making techniques which retain the maximum fruit quality. All of the Grand Cru wines are matured in 100% new oak barrels whilst the rest of the wines are a minimum of 50% new oak. Wines are not filtered or fined before bottling leaving the wines as full and as well flavoured as possible.

Drouhin Laroze boasts 46% of the vineyard holdings as Grand Cru, an enormous percentage given the size of their vineyard portfolio. I'd never seen a wall of Bonnes Mares barrels two high before and was quite overcome on the first visit to the cellar!!