Joseph Drouhin : Côte de Beaune Village 2020

Tasting characteristics and advice for Joseph Drouhin’s Côte de Beaune Village 2020 blanc

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a bright, luminous pale gold hue.

Nose

The nose reveals a harmonious, delicate aromatic profile. Aromas evoke honey, almond and verbena, alongside floral and fruity notes that reflect the vintage’s fine aromatic expression.

Palate

On the palate, this wine charms with its balance and freshness. The texture is harmonious, underpinned by a lively vibrancy that carries the aromas through to a lingering finish.

Food and wine pairings

This Côte de Beaune Blanc 2020 is a perfect match for delicate fish, seafood, creamed poultry and fine cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

Côte de Beaune Blanc 2020 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 10 and 12°C.

An elegant Côte de Beaune chardonnay by Joseph Drouhin

The estate

Founded in 1880 in Beaune by 22-year-old Joseph Drouhin, the House of Joseph Drouhin is one of Burgundy’s most prestigious wine houses. Now led by the family’s fourth generation—with Frédéric Drouhin as Chairman of the Management Board, Véronique Boss-Drouhin as Chief Winemaker, Philippe Drouhin overseeing the vineyards, and Laurent Drouhin in charge of exports—the House owns around 80 to 100 hectares of vineyards across the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune, Chablis and the Côte Chalonnaise. A pioneer of organic and biodynamic farming in Burgundy since the 1990s, the House embodies Burgundian excellence through its commitment to faithfully expressing terroir and to environmentally respectful practices.

The vineyard

This Côte de Beaune comes from vineyards located on the hillsides overlooking the town of Beaune. This area benefits from a prime exposure and soils well suited to showcasing chardonnay. The House favors a high planting density, up to 12,500 vines per hectare, encouraging deep root systems and a full expression of terroir. The vines are farmed according to organic and biodynamic principles, with practices including horse plowing, the use of cover crops, and the production of natural compost to improve soil health.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage delivered a very fine harvest, enabling the grapes to develop a remarkable aromatic expression. The year’s climatic conditions favored optimal ripening of the berries, giving rise to balanced, harmonious wines.

Vinification and aging

The grapes for Côte de Beaune Blanc 2020 are hand-harvested into small perforated, ventilated crates to preserve the fruit’s integrity. The process begins with slow pressing in a pneumatic press, separating free-run juice from the last-press juice. After a short settling period allowing for light sedimentation, the juice is transferred to oak barrels. Alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation both take place in oak barrels, with around 10 to 15% new barrels, allowing seamless oak integration without overshadowing the expression of terroir.

Grape variety

100% chardonnay.