‘I was deeply touched by the goodwill of other growers in the region,’ Laurent notes. With the unexpected help of local growers and his partners from Domaines & Vins de Propriété, he rebuilt the business. In 2017 he was able to re-purchase the brand, the family name, and the historic buildings and cellars of the Château de Charmont in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. This distribution work provided him with the network of contacts to realise his ultimate dream of re-launching Maison Edouard Delaunay. In 2003, Laurent acquired Domaines & Vins de Propriété, a merchant firm specialising in the distribution of the wines of prestigious growers from throughout Burgundy and the rest of France, representing more than 150 independent producers. Within a few years, they created the brand Les Jamelles, which is among the most popular varietal wines from the South of France. Having started as ‘flying winemakers’, in due course they acquired several vineyards and built a state-of-the- art winery. Eventually, however, he left Burgundy with his winemaker wife Catherine to forge a new trail in the Languedoc. After a global series of apprenticeships, he returned briefly to the family firm before its sale, and stayed on for several years after the transition. Laurent Delaunay, fifth generation scion of the family, studied grape-growing and winemaking in Burgundy and business in Paris. The sale, however, did not mark the end of the Delaunay’s winemaking destiny and dreams. By the 1990s, however, the Delaunay heirs encountered difficulty charting the direction of the house due to family illness, and in 1993 the house and its vineyards were sold to a leading Burgundy négociant. The Delaunay tradition continued after the Second World War, as Jean’s sons Bernard and Jean-Marie continued to travel and market their wines with brio. The family also participated in the foundation of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and the popularisation of the charity auction held annually by the Hospices de Beaune. They succeeded in placing their wines both throughout the world and their native France, from the Orient Express to the Elysée Palace, by way of top restaurants, and on the lists of the leading merchants of the day.ĭuring these heady years, the house of Edouard Delaunay distributed some of the most prestigious Burgundies, from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to La Romanée. These two entrepreneurs travelled the world at the height of the Jazz Age, voyaging to North and South America and French colonies in Africa and the Far East – wherever gourmets enjoyed quality French wines. Multi-generational journeyįrom these solid foundations, Delaunay was able to transmit the business to his two sons, Jean and Marcel. Edouard set about his expansion by purchasing the business of his father’s Burgundy supplier and founded his operation in Nuits-Saints- Georges before moving to Dijon, the one- time capital of the Dukes of Burgundy. 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 in the prestigious precincts of Burgundy. The house was founded in the late 19th Century and prospered throughout the vicissitudes of two World Wars and the Great Depression. The story of Edouard Delaunay is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Côte d’Or. September releases 2022: full score table.Rhône 2021 score table: top white wines.March releases on the Place de Bordeaux 2023.
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