Maison Drouhin-Laroze

Jean-Baptiste Laroze founded the estate in Gevrey-Chambertin in 1850, planting and acquiring vines in what was then a still-emerging Cote de Nuits commune. His son Felix succeeded him and continued building the family's holdings. The Drouhin name entered the estate in 1919 when Felix's daughter Suzanne Laroze married Alexandre Drouhin, who brought his family's Chambolle-Musigny vines with him into the operation. The combined estate took the hyphenated Drouhin-Laroze name from that union forward. The Drouhin family of Drouhin-Laroze is wholly distinct from the Drouhin family of Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune (founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin, who moved from Chablis to Beaune at age 22). The two families share a surname but no genealogical link, and the two houses have operated in parallel as separate businesses across more than a century.

• Founded 1850 in Gevrey-Chambertin by Jean-Baptiste Laroze
• Felix Laroze succeeded as the second generation; his daughter Suzanne married Alexandre Drouhin in 1919, who brought Chambolle-Musigny vines
• The estate adopted the hyphenated Drouhin-Laroze name from 1919 forward
• Distinct family from Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune (founded 1880 by Joseph Drouhin from Chablis); shared surname, no relation

The Laroze and Drouhin-Laroze families have run the estate without ownership change since the 1850 founding. The contemporary leadership rests with Philippe and Christine Drouhin, the fifth generation, who are assisted by their children Caroline and Nicolas Drouhin, the sixth generation. Caroline handles the commercial and business side, and Nicolas works alongside the cellar and viticulture team. The handover from fifth to sixth generation has been progressive rather than abrupt, with Caroline and Nicolas taking on increasing responsibility through the 2010s and 2020s while Philippe and Christine remain involved. The multi-generational continuity places Drouhin-Laroze in a smaller cohort of historic Gevrey-Chambertin family estates that have held their structure intact, alongside Maison Pierre Bouree Fils (now under the Vallet family) and Domaine Henri Rebourseau (under Boisset since 2018).

• Six generations of continuous family ownership since 1850
• Current leadership: Philippe and Christine Drouhin (fifth generation), assisted by children Caroline and Nicolas (sixth generation)
• Caroline handles commercial and business operations; Nicolas works alongside the cellar and viticulture
• Progressive sixth-generation handover through the 2010s and 2020s with the fifth generation still involved

The estate covers 11.5 hectares in the Cote de Nuits, spanning a north-to-south sweep from Brochon down to Vougeot. The vineyard split is roughly 46 percent Grand Cru, 14 percent Premier Cru, and 40 percent Village, with annual production around 50,000 bottles. The Grand Cru holdings number six: Musigny in Chambolle (the marquee bottling, a tiny parcel acquired through the 1919 Drouhin marriage); Chambertin Clos de Beze in Gevrey (the historic monastic-pre-existing Grand Cru alongside Chambertin); Bonnes-Mares straddling the Morey-Chambolle boundary; Clos de Vougeot in the fragmented 50-hectare cru; Latricieres-Chambertin immediately south of Chambertin; and Chapelle-Chambertin, a small Gevrey Grand Cru immediately west of Chambertin Clos de Beze. The four Gevrey Premier Crus are Lavaut Saint-Jacques, Clos Prieur, Au Closeau (a 0.53-hectare cru of which Drouhin-Laroze farms roughly 80 percent), and Craipillot. Village production comes from Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Morey-Saint-Denis. Note that Mazis-Chambertin is not part of the estate.

• 11.5 hectares from Vougeot in the south to Brochon in the north; roughly 46 percent Grand Cru, 14 percent Premier Cru, 40 percent Village
• Six Grand Crus: Musigny, Chambertin Clos de Beze, Bonnes-Mares, Clos de Vougeot, Latricieres-Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin
• Four Gevrey 1er Crus: Lavaut Saint-Jacques, Clos Prieur, Au Closeau (about 80 percent of this 0.53 ha cru), Craipillot
• Village production in Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Morey-Saint-Denis; annual production around 50,000 bottles

The cellar approach centers on classical Gevrey practices adapted across the estate's six Grand Crus. Hand-harvested fruit is sorted at the winery, with heavy triage in the vineyard and a second pass on the cellar table. Bunches are largely destemmed for Village and Premier Cru wines, with a measured whole-cluster percentage (typically around 20 to 30 percent) retained on selected Grand Cru cuvees when the vintage character supports it. Indigenous yeast fermentations run in open vats with restrained extraction (cold soak, gentle pump-overs, limited pigeage). Elevage runs 12 to 18 months in French oak in the estate's cool underground cellars, with a higher new-oak proportion for the Grand Crus and a lower proportion stepping down through Premier Cru and Village. Bottling is done without filtration. The style sits within the modern Gevrey reference register: aromatically lifted, with structural depth rather than extractive density.

• Hand-harvest with heavy triage in vineyard and a second sort at the cellar table
• Largely destemmed for Village and Premier Cru; about 20 to 30 percent whole cluster on selected Grand Cru cuvees
• Indigenous yeast fermentations in open vats; cold soak, restrained extraction with gentle pump-overs and limited pigeage
• Elevage 12 to 18 months in French oak in the underground cellars; bottled without filtration