The producer
Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, based in Gevrey-Chambertin, is one of Burgundy’s long-standing family estates, renowned for combining classical craftsmanship with a thoughtful, modern sensibility. Founded in 1850 by Jean-Baptiste Laroze and now led by Philippe Drouhin alongside his son Nicolas, the domaine spans over 11 hectares across some of the Côte de Nuits’ most prestigious appellations, including Chambertin, Clos de Bèze, and Bonnes-Mares.
In Gevrey-Chambertin, the estate’s heartland, Drouhin-Laroze produces wines that perfectly capture the village’s character—structured yet refined, marked by deep fruit, freshness, and a subtle mineral edge. The family’s approach emphasizes low yields, careful vineyard management, and minimal intervention in the cellar to ensure that each wine reflects its origin with clarity and elegance. Aging is tailored to cru and vintage, with new oak reserved for the grands crus and gentler élevage for the premiers and village wines. Today, Domaine Drouhin-Laroze stands as a benchmark producer in Gevrey-Chambertin, marrying six generations of tradition with an unwavering commitment to purity and precision.
The wine
Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru, Gevrey-Chambertin is a magnificent expression of one of Burgundy’s most hallowed terroirs. Sourced from the Domaine’s prized parcel within this legendary Grand Cru, the wine epitomizes both power and precision. Fermented with a portion of whole clusters to enhance aromatic lift and structure, it opens with an intricate bouquet of black cherry, raspberry, and rose petal, underpinned by notes of forest floor, exotic spice, and fine oak.
On the palate, it is at once expansive and refined, displaying the muscular depth characteristic of Gevrey-Chambertin alongside the silken texture and perfume that define Clos-de-Bèze. Layers of pure red and dark fruit unfold across a framework of polished tannins and vibrant acidity, leading to an extraordinarily long, mineral-infused finish. This Grand Cru stands among the most complete and age-worthy wines in the Drouhin-Laroze cellar, an eloquent testament to the domaine’s craftsmanship and the timeless grandeur of Clos-de-Bèze.
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.
As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.
