FICOFI: Maison Joseph Drouhin

Jean-Paul Dumond, Sales Director of Maison Joseph Drouhin, laid on a generous line-up on 20 October 2018 during one of his frequent stopovers in Singapore, where there was a promenade followed by lunch at Capitol Plaza. There didn’t appear to be any particular vintage theme and, regrettably, no Montrachet nor Musigny grand cru but still there was plenty of good stuff to partake in. I tend to be partial towards the whites of Drouhin, always so very correctly poised but, on this occasion, I was also very impressed with how well the older vintages of reds were still holding up.

2016 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc 1er. Soft gentle bouquet of white floral fragrance. Good depth with earthy tones on the palate, matched by lovely dry intensity and lively acidity. Excellent freshness and length.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc 1er. More relaxed on the nose with recessed tropical fruits. Dry placid palate. More developed and more minerally. Good balance.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er. Dry minerally glow with white floral overtones, leading to a classic Puligny signature of gravelly depth, richly detailed with very fine acidity and concentration, exuding subdued intensity. Excellent.

2013 Joseph Drouhin Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Shut, just glimpses of gentle white fruits, displaying a minerally glow at the sides amidst traces of chalky minerals. Good tonal fullness. Somewhat reserved as it kept its distance. Took its time to open, revealing subtle tropical fruits layered with rich detail. A classic Corton-Charlemagne. Very fine.

2008 Joseph Drouhin Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Poured from jeroboam. Glorious color. Effusive complex floral bouquet with a rich oily tone but surprisingly shy on the palate, exuding a minerally glow with notes of nutmeg within a slim well-defined profile. Opened up with gentle opulence, displaying fine balance and elegance, more nutty with shades of almonds. Excellent.

2009 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge 1er. Poured from jeroboam. Herbal medicinal glow tinged with earth. Rounded and soft, well structured with good integration and concentration. Opened up very well with food, displaying lovely opulence and fullness.

2016 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge 1er. Good color. Deeper glow with more fruit to the fore and great acidity, lively yet subtly poised with good integration and balance, finishing with excellent linearity.

1996 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge 1er. Good color. Generous expanse of raspberries with good levels of ripeness, positively glowing with just a touch of greenness. Good concentration and structure, turning more minerally at the finish.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er. Lovely freshness with a feminine stance. Distant cherries and raspberries. Good balance. Softly rounded. Opened up over lunch with better detail and depth, just a tad short.

2016 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er. Good color. Dominance of red fruits, ripe red cherries and camphor tinged with earth. Lovely seamless integration and acidity. Feels a bit cautious on the palate. Doesn’t possess the exuberance of Groffier.

1996 Joseph Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin Champeaux 1er. Correct tint. More of tangerines, bright red fruits and camphor. Rounded with great balance and acidity. Holding up well.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Fresh enticing bouquet of red cherries and rose petals. More forward with a lovely soft feminine intensity. Rounded and fleshy. Great integration, balance and acidity. Very correct.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru. Lovely earthy pungency, offering superb complexity and more layering than the preceding reds. Medium-bodied, displaying great presence of ripe raspberries with residual overtones of camphor and paraffin. Very well balanced and integrated with lively acidity. Yet to develop.

1999 Joseph Drouhin Hospice de Beaune Beaune. Poured from magnum. Still showing good colour. A bit more forward and accented on the nose. Ample in mature red fruits. Bright, rounded and fleshy, carrying good weight and intensity without any heaviness, displaying great balance, detail and definition. Highly successful.

2011 Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Proces 1er. Good colour. Very good in concentration and acidity with plenty of freshness on a bed of classic Nuits-Saint-Georges earthiness. Just a tad short.

1995 Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Roncieres 1er. Poured from magnum. Lifted tones of bright red fruits. Very good in concentration, slightly denser than usual with classic earthy overtones. Dryish in texture, structured with fine acidity but again short. Lacks opulence.

1978 Joseph Drouhin Vosne-Romanee Beaumonts 1er. Dusky crimson. Still carrying an abundance of delicious mature red fruits on the nose and palate with an earthy edge. Medium-full, displaying very fine acidity with a deeper vein of dark currants and tight intensity that tapered to a long spicy finish. Still has the legs to last another decade. Excellent!

1995 Ch d’Yquem. Glow of aged chalky minerals with enticing notes of honey, nectarine and sweet citrus, showing lovely tension, acidity and structure. Jean-Paul Dumond simply cannot do without an d’Yquem, hence its inclusion in any Drouhin line-up.