There are undoubtedly thousands of family wineries in the world, but few are as good or as completely involved as the Drouhins of Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy. Robert Drouhin, who headed the Joseph Drouhin company for years and still participates in the daily tastings, represents the third generation of the family business, and all four of his children are actively involved in the the global wine venture today. The youngest, Frederic, is CEO of the business because his older siblings asked him to run the firm. Laurent heads American and Caribbean marketing from New York City, and Philippe looks after the estate vineyards and grape buying in the Cotes d'Or, Macon, Cote Chalonnaise, Beaujolais, Chablis -- and Oregon. Veronique, in the photo above, heads the winemaking and pioneered the family's Domaine Drouhin estate in Oregon.
I recently spent time with the family in Burgundy on assignment and will be writing more about them and Burgundy in the weeks to come.
(Oh yes, the snails in garlic butter in the photo, served for lunch at the Auberge de Cheval Noir in Beaune, paired wonderfully with the 2006 Joseph Drouhin Clos des Mouches Blanc.)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
There are a few of my new articles that might be of interest to you:
In the Robb Report, a piece in the September issue features the subtle charms of the 200 bottles of rare 1965 Auchentoshan lowland Scotch, while the November issue tells about the obvious charms of Orient Express' Colca Canyon resort miles away from everything in Southern Peru... In the September issue of Beverage Media, we explore the growing influence of sommeliers in the article, "Gatekeepers of the Next New Wine"... We return to Peru for a perusal of rare forms of the Pisco Sour for the September issue of The Tasting Panel... If you like your Chards naked, check out the "Top 5 Unoaked Chardonnays" and the foods and recipes to go with them at epicurious.com... the fall issue of Drinks features the attractiveness of Spain's Albarinos and other white wines... in the September edition of Sommelier News, we look at how Israeli winemakers are turning their country into a land of milk, honey -- and good wines...and, finally,if you've ever considered getting rid of that pesky grass and instead growing grapes in your backyard, pick up a copy of the October issue of the Wine Enthusiast to see how Clos LaChance is turning Silicon Valley into Grapegrowers Alley.
Until next time...
Roger Morris
