Joseph Drouhin Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Noir

Founded in 1880 and now stewarded by the fourth generation, Maison Joseph Drouhin built its reputation on a single conviction: that Burgundy's two noble varieties — Pinot Noir and Chardonnay — require no supplementation, only transparency. Winemaker Véronique Boss-Drouhin applies the same house philosophy to Laforet that governs the Grand Cru cellar: no overextraction, no shortcuts.

Laforet draws on Drouhin's négociant network across the Bourgogne AOC, sourcing from the clay-limestone and gravel-over-marl soils that define the Côte d'Or's regional tier — sites that deliver red-fruit precision rather than weight. The 2022 growing season was hot and dry, producing phenolically ripe fruit with firm structural backbone, a vintage where Drouhin's restraint-first approach prevents the heat from tipping into overripeness.

Vinification follows the house protocol: total destemming, fermentation in small open vats with indigenous yeasts, 2–3 weeks maceration with pigeage, followed by élevage in French high-forest oak (228L–500L) with 15–25% new wood. The special feature here is institutional: Drouhin restricts its entire red portfolio to Pinot Noir, meaning every sourcing and blending decision at the Laforet level is benchmarked against the same palate that produces Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. The 2022 drinks well now and will hold through 2027–2028.