Philippe Drouhin describes the 2007 growing season as one that “began extremely early followed by a very early flowering. Unfortunately truly poor weather installed itself in the late spring and lasted all summer, up until 15 days before harvest. Even then, the temperatures weren’t really all that much warmer but there was a strong vent du nord (north wind) that dried up the rot and concentrated sugars as well as acidities. Still, there was an enormous sorting job to be done and they wound up with 40% less than a normal crop. They waited a few days after the majority of their neighbors and commenced on the 4th of September, bringing in sugars that were surprisingly good at between 12.5 and 13%.

Drouhin noted that he had used a bit more new wood than usual because of the reduced quantities and he bottled one month earlier than usual as he found them sufficiently developed.

The style is traditional in the sense that it is neither old school nor modern with moderate extraction and clean aromatics and they typically use moderation in the amount of oak influence. The wines are worth a look as they sell for relatively reasonable prices, particularly at the grand cru level.

The Laroze family first obtained vines in Gevrey-Chambertin in 1850, but the current estate did not take shape until 1919 when Suzanne Laroze married Alexandre Drouhin of Chambolle-Musigny. The joining of the two families resulted in the formation of Domaine Druohin-Laroze. Located in the center of Gevrey-Chambertin, the domaine resembles a Bordeaux chateau. A large stone wall surrounds the property, whose only entrance is an imposing iron gate. At the center of the property, is a large, 19th century manor house. Resting in the two story wine cellar beneath the house are labels bearing the names Clos Vougeot, Bonnes Mares, Clos de Beze and Les Musigny. Under the leadership of Bernard Drouhin, the domaine built a solid reputation, but a changing of the guard occurred with his death in 2001. Bernard’s son Philippe took control of the estate and made several changes to further improve the quality of the wines. Yields were cut and more precise temperature control was implemented during vinification. The efforts quickly paid off and subsequent vintages produced deeper, richer wines.

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze owns 11.50 hectares of vineyards, including village, premier cru and grand cru sites.