Joseph Drouhin Cotes De Beaune Villages

Founded in 1880 and now stewarded by the fourth generation of the Drouhin family, Maison Joseph Drouhin completed a full biodynamic conversion across its 100-hectare Burgundy estate — certified by ECOCERT for the 2009 vintage — an extraordinary undertaking for a négociant-domaine of this scale. The Côte de Beaune Villages appellation draws from the clay-limestone soils that define the southern Côte d'Or, where moderate elevation and easterly aspects temper ripening and preserve the taut acidity that distinguishes Beaune-side Pinot Noir from the more muscular expressions of the Côte de Nuits.

Vinification follows the house's low-intervention doctrine: total destemming for village-level reds, fermentation in small open vats with indigenous yeasts, pigeage and pumping-over across a 2–3 week maceration, then 12–18 months in French high-forest oak (228L–500L) at 15–25% new wood. Élevage decisions are made by tasting rather than fixed protocol — a deliberate rejection of formula winemaking. The 2021 vintage, marked by spring frost and mildew pressure, produced severely reduced yields; strict sorting delivered wines of notable freshness and structural precision rather than volume. Drink 2024–2029.