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Benchmark Rully from a Reluctant Superstar
Vincent Dureuil is simply a superstar in Burgundy these days, albeit an unassuming one. Not only are the wines here unparalleled within the Côte Chalonnaise, but they also regularly compare in quality with the best of the Côte d'Or. This status has long been recognised by this grower’s peers and certain French critics and is now finally being acknowledged outside France. When you consider this reality and then consider how the prices compare with those of the Côte d'Or, it becomes clear why the wines are in such high demand and why export markets like ours receive such limited quantities.
The downside of this domaine’s cult status has been that Australia’s allocation is tiny, a reality that isn’t helped by the paltry yields in Rully in recent years.
Vincent Dureuil is no overnight success. He has been working his hide off for 25 years in his family’s vines, mainly in Rully, with some small parcels in the Côte d'Or (from where both his Bourgogne-level wines derive). The usual quality drivers apply: excellent sites; old vines; perfectionist and strictly organic viticulture; natural fermentations; no fining or filtration; and fastidious cellar work. Dureuil’s hard work, in what is a notoriously difficult area to farm—he spends up to 14 hours a day among his vines for most of the growing season—has also become renowned; a reality that was publicly recognised last year when he received the coveted “Winemaker of the Year” title from the Revue du Vin de France.
Despite the accolades, Vincent Dureuil is still one of Burgundy’s least-known stars outside France. The location of his cellar (and most of his vines) is well off the beaten track. Also, his name is hard to pronounce off the page (it’s Doo-ray), as is his village (Roo-Yee). But as Côte d’Or prices skyrocket and drive many to look beyond the famous villages for quality, more and more canny buyers and critics are finding their way here. Jean-François Coche was once reported to have said, “If I see his name on a wine list, I don't give it a second thought and simply order his wine.” We suggest you do the same.
AT-A-GLANCE • Domaine Dureuil-Janthial is arguably the finest estate of the Côte Chalonnaise. • This historical estate in Rully has been run by generational talent Vincent Dureuil and his wife, Céline, since 1994. • The estate’s vines cover 20 hectares in Rully and Mercurey, with a further three hectares in Puligny-Montrachet and Nuits-Saint-Georges. • Viticulture is organic with biodynamic practices, rows are regularly ploughed, and de-budding helps control yields, which are always low from these old vines (average 50-75 years). • White vinification includes barrel fermentation and maturation with moderate levels of new oak, while the reds are destemmed and see less than 25% new wood. • The range includes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Bourgogne to 1er Cru. • The wines are in high demand and sold on allocation. IN THE PRESS “If asked, I would have named Vincent Dureuil-Janthial as the number one producer in Rully, and this tasting certainly confirmed that opinion. Superb wines in both colours made by a most unassuming yet brilliantly articulate vigneron. He understands how to make wine and how to talk about it.” Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy “[Duriel-Janthial is] a wake-up call for the often rather dull winemaking of the Côte Chalonnaise…” Andrew Jefford, The New France “Vincent Dureuil and his wife Céline took over the family estate in 1994, and today this 20-hectare domaine ranks—along with Domaine Bruno Lorenzon in Mercurey—as the finest winery in the Côte Chalonnaise. Organic farming, cultivated soils and virtuosic winemaking combine to striking effect, yielding textural but incisive whites and perfumed, supple reds that number among my favorite wines in Burgundy.” William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
Country
France
Primary Region
Côte Chalonnaise
People
Vincent Dureuil
Availability
National