Burgundy house Joseph Drouhin is relaunching its Chablis wines under the Drouhin Vaudon banner, 40 years after the company helped to pioneer the resurgence of the region.

Drouhin’s extensive roster of Chablis wines, including standard AOC Chablis, plus Premiers Crus and Grands Crus such as Vaudésir, Les Clos and Bougros, will now be known as Drouhin Vaudon.

Company president Frédéric Drouhin said the change, including a redesigned label, was being made because of Drouhin’s primary association with the heartland of Burgundy.

‘I think the changes we are making in Chablis, rebranding the wines as Drouhin Vaudon, make perfect sense,’ he said. ‘We are from the Côte d’Or and Chablis is a very different place.’

The changes come 40 years after Robert Drouhin, Frédéric’s father, bought a selection of vineyards in the then neglected Chablis region.

One of the first Beaune-based companies to show interest in the unfashionable region, he built up an estate which now totals 38 hectares (ha), nearly half the total Drouhin vineyard holding in Burgundy as a whole (73ha).

It includes 27ha in the Chablis appellation, plus a good selection of Premiers and Grands Crus.

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Written by Richard Woodard

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Richard Woodard
Richard Woodard
Decanter Magazine, Wine & Spirits Writer

Richard Woodard is a freelance wine and spirits writer based in the UK. Aside from Decanter, he writes for several wine trade and media outlets including Imbibe, The Drinks Business, Harpers and Drinks International.

Since 2015 he has been the magazine editor of Scotchwhisky.com. He has formerly worked as a wine news reporter at Imbibe and a feature writer for Halycon Magazine.