Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos Des Mouches Premier Cru

Maurice Drouhin acquired Clos des Mouches in 1921, and a century later the site remains the house's most emblematic red — a deliberate counterpoint to the power-driven Côte de Nuits, grown instead on the southern slopes of Beaune where clay-limestone soils and a more open aspect produce Pinot Noir of uncommon mid-weight density. The vineyard sits roughly equidistant between Corton-Charlemagne to the north and Montrachet to the south, a position that imprints both mineral tension and generous fruit on the same wine.

Winemaker Véronique Boss-Drouhin ferments in small open vats using indigenous yeasts, with pigeage and pumping-over across a 2–3 week maceration. Whole-cluster inclusion — up to 40–50% for Premier Cru fruit — adds structural grip and aromatic lift without extractive weight. Élevage runs 12–18 months in French high-forest oak (228L–500L) at 15–25% new wood, seasoned approximately three years before coopering to suppress green tannin from the staves.

What separates this cuvée from most Beaune Premiers Crus is the biodynamic farming — horse-ploughed, cover-cropped, ECOCERT-certified from the 2009 vintage — applied across a full 100-hectare négociant-domaine at scale almost unmatched in Burgundy. The 2020 vintage delivered warm, dry conditions that built concentration and early appeal; the wine is generous now but carries the site's clay-limestone structure for a further 8–12 years of development.