Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Beaune Clos Des Mouches is Drouhin's flagship white, and the 1996 is superb. Revealing deep, austere mineral aromas, it possesses a gorgeously ripe, juicy, medium-to-full-bodied, and superbly-balanced personality. Almond paste, honeysuckle blossoms, and gravel flavors can be found in this silky wine. Its long, drawn-out, and precise finish is admirable.
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Wine Spectator
Well-made white that blends beautifully, with the overt emphasis on toasted oak with ripe fruit. Not for everyone (all this wood), but it works partly because of the lush, supple, mineral-driven texture and fresh, vibrant acidity. Seductive finish.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.