The story of Edouard Delaunay is deeply rooted within the traditions of the Côte d’Or. The home was based within the late nineteenth Century and prospered all through the vicissitudes of two World Wars and the Nice Despair. It was the brainchild of its eponymous founder, who arrived from the Loire Valley’s port of Nantes, burning with ambition to make his mark within the prestigious precincts of Burgundy. Edouard set about his enlargement by buying the enterprise of his father’s Burgundy provider and based his operation in Nuits-Saints- Georges earlier than transferring to Dijon, the one- time capital of the Dukes of Burgundy.
Multi-generational journey
From these strong foundations, Delaunay was capable of transmit the enterprise to his two sons, Jean and Marcel. These two entrepreneurs travelled the world on the top of the Jazz Age, voyaging to North and South America and French colonies in Africa and the Far East – wherever gourmets loved high quality French wines. They succeeded in putting their wines each all through the world and their native France, from the Orient Specific to the Elysée Palace, by the use of high eating places, and on the lists of the main retailers of the day.
Throughout these heady years, the home of Edouard Delaunay distributed among the most prestigious Burgundies, from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to La Romanée. The household additionally participated within the basis of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and the popularisation of the charity public sale held yearly by the Hospices de Beaune. The Delaunay custom continued after the Second World Conflict, as Jean’s sons Bernard and Jean-Marie continued to journey and market their wines with brio. By the Nineties, nonetheless, the Delaunay heirs encountered problem charting the path of the home because of household sickness, and in 1993 the home and its vineyards have been offered to a number one Burgundy négociant.
Historic rebirth
The sale, nonetheless, didn’t mark the top of the Delaunay’s winemaking future and desires. Laurent Delaunay, fifth technology scion of the household, studied grape-growing and winemaking in Burgundy and enterprise in Paris. After a world sequence of apprenticeships, he returned briefly to the household agency earlier than its sale, and stayed on for a number of years after the transition. Finally, nonetheless, he left Burgundy along with his winemaker spouse Catherine to forge a brand new path within the Languedoc. Having began as ‘flying winemakers’, sooner or later they acquired a number of vineyards and constructed a state-of-the- artwork vineyard. Inside a couple of years, they created the model Les Jamelles, which is among the many hottest varietal wines from the South of France.
In 2003, Laurent acquired Domaines & Vins de Propriété, a service provider agency specialising within the distribution of the wines of prestigious growers from all through Burgundy and the remainder of France, representing greater than 150 impartial producers. This distribution work supplied him with the community of contacts to understand his final dream of re-launching Maison Edouard Delaunay. In 2017 he was capable of re-purchase the model, the household title, and the historic buildings and cellars of the Château de Charmont within the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. With the sudden assist of native growers and his companions from Domaines & Vins de Propriété, he rebuilt the enterprise. ‘I used to be deeply touched by the goodwill of different growers within the area,’ Laurent notes. ‘Edouard Delaunay was well-known and revered in its hey-day, and so they have been so completely happy to see the power and fervour we have been placing in to revive the home, that they provided us some very stunning cuvées.’
Delaunay described what it meant, on a private degree, to re-purchase the home: ‘We have been over the moon the primary few weeks after shopping for again the property. For me and my household too it was one thing completely fantastic and albeit unhoped-for. I consider in windfall and for me it was an indication as a result of it’s one thing that by no means occurs in Burgundy. There’s a actual concern and willingness to maintain Burgundian land, tradition and different heritage inside Burgundian households. Nevertheless it undoubtedly is utopian. A household that has offered its property and buys it again twenty-five years later is one thing that by no means occurs.’
Expertise and success
Among the many first steps that Laurent took after the re-birth of Maison Edouard Delaunay was to construct a artistic crew round him. This included the appointment of the gifted, younger winemaker, Christophe Briotet, with greater than fifteen years’ expertise making wine in Burgundy and around the globe. With a brand new crew in place below his management, Laurent used his winemaking expertise, wealth of oenological information and fantastic consideration to element to information Edouard Delaunay to nice success and extensive recognition in document time. Within the first classic alone, Edouard Delaunay garnered 39 medals throughout a variety of worldwide competitions, together with a Gold medal (95 factors) for his Nuits-St-Georges premier cru Les Perrières on the Decanter World Wine Awards.
Delaunay has managed his success with discretion, saying he doesn’t subscribe to any explicit technique, however somewhat adheres to a winemaking philosophy, centered on a exact and refined fashion, well-balanced and with none extra. He works in concord with nature and adapts the vinification and ageing processes to the character of every terroir, plot, selection, and classic. By patiently ready for the wines to develop and reveal the entire grapes’ unbelievable potential, Delaunay finally takes it to the very best degree, reflecting the most effective of every explicit terroir and classic.
Since 2019, Edouard Delaunay has cultivated 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Pommard, together with Les Chaponnières premier cru, a stupendous winery planted to 80-year-old vines, situated slightly below certainly one of Pommard’s most extremely prized plots, Les Rugiens. Right now the vary consists of the most effective of the Côte d’Or, with grand crus and premier crus from numerous climats, with a selected emphasis on the home’s house base in Nuits-St-Georges. There may be additionally a variety of extra accessible wines with regional appellations. For the longer term, Delaunay is working to develop his holdings within the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, the place their recently-renovated services function a state-of-the-art gravity stream vineyard and ageing cellars. Laurent believes not solely within the heritage of this area, but in addition in its future potential, because the cooler areas within the Hautes-Côtes will grow to be ever-more engaging to winemakers in quest of magnificence and stability in opposition to the backdrop of world warming.
Though Edouard Delaunay is called the smallest of the nice service provider homes in Burgundy, its future is brilliant. In December 2021, Delaunay was named co-president of the BIVB (Bourgogne Wine Board), and he’s properly on his strategy to re-establishing Maison Edouard Delaunay within the starry firmament of Burgundian négociants.
Edouard Delaunay – 4 wines to rediscover the maison:
Tasted and scored by the Decanter crew. Ordered by rating in descending order.
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les St-Georges 2019
95 factors
This noteworthy wine would catch anybody’s consideration with its profuse aromas of ripe mulberry fruit, oak spice, earth, leather-based, and smoke. The feel is wealthy and concentrated however by no means heavy, boasting full physique, agency tannins and considerable extract balanced by recent acidity that results in a protracted end. The grapes have been destemmed after cautious sorting, and gently fermented with each punching down and pumping over earlier than ageing 20 months in cask (25% new). This scrumptious wine would profit from a couple of years in bottle earlier than opening and may drink properly for an additional 20 past that.
100% Pinot Noir, 14% ABV
Drink 2025-2045
Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos St-Jean 2019
94 factors
Regardless of a lightweight lemon-yellow hue, this Chassagne premier cru reveals pronounced inexperienced apple and lemon peel fruit aromas with mineral notes and a touch of spice from the élevage. The feel is wealthy and absolutely ripe, however there may be nice pressure on the palate. The fully-mature vines develop the marly-limestone soils within the centre of the appellation. The grapes are gently pressed as complete clusters and fermented in cask (30% new), with lees stirring for the primary six months. The wine aged 18 months in complete and delivers sufficient substance to make sure a protracted life within the cellar.
100% Chardonnay, 13.5% ABV
Drink 2025-2035
Pommard Premier Cru Chaponnières 2019
93 factors
The 2019 Pommard Chaponnières boasts a darkish ruby color, ripe plum, and black cherry fruit aromas with earth, smoke, and leather-based notes. The construction is firmly tannic, with recent acidity and average size. The grapes come from a domaine-owned parcel of 80-year-old vines and have been partially destemmed (30% complete clusters) earlier than a mild fermentation and ageing for 17 months in cask (30% new). This strong wine would do properly with a couple of years to open up and may drink properly after that for a minimum of a decade.
100% Pinot Noir, 14% ABV
Drink 2025-2035
Puligny-Montrachet Le Village 2020
92 factors
This village-level Puligny from a single web site has beautiful, ripe apple fruit aromas, a floral edge, and wealthy buttery notes on the palate. The feel is sort of decadently wealthy, with full physique, balanced acidity, and sufficient extract resulting in a lingering end. The grapes come primarily from the lieu-dit Corvée des Vignes within the north of Puligny, close to Meursault Charmes. They have been gently pressed as complete clusters and fermented in cask (20% new). The wine did a partial malolactic fermentation earlier than ageing for one 12 months in cask. This wine will drink properly on launch and is completely suited to mid-term cellaring.
100% Chardonnay, 13.5% ABV
Drink 2023-2030
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