Joseph Drouhin
Clos des Mouches Rouge Premier Cru
Beaune
2016

The producer

Maison Joseph Drouhin, founded in 1880 by the 22-year-old Joseph Drouhin, is a renowned family-owned winery based in Beaune, Burgundy. Over the years, the Drouhin family has expanded their holdings to include vineyards across Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, and Côte Chalonnaise, cultivating both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 1987, they extended their expertise to the United States by establishing Domaine Drouhin Oregon in the Willamette Valley, producing acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that reflect their Burgundian heritage. A pioneer in sustainable viticulture, Maison Joseph Drouhin began converting its vineyards to organic and biodynamic practices in 1988, achieving full certification in 1993. Today, the fourth generation—Frédéric, Philippe, Véronique, and Laurent Drouhin—continues to uphold the family's commitment to excellence, crafting wines that express the unique terroirs of their diverse vineyard sites.

The wine

Joseph Drouhin's Clos des Mouches Rouge Premier Cru is a distinguished Pinot Noir from Beaune, Burgundy, crafted from one of the region's most historic and prestigious vineyards. The Clos des Mouches vineyard, named after the bees ("mouches") that once thrived there, lies on the border between Beaune and Pommard, benefiting from a unique microclimate and diverse soils of marl and limestone. This wine is a harmonious expression of elegance and structure, offering aromas of red berries, cherry, rose petals, and subtle earthy notes. On the palate, it is medium-bodied with silky tannins, vibrant acidity, and a lingering finish. Perfectly balanced, this Premier Cru is a testament to the Drouhin family's dedication to sustainable viticulture and traditional Burgundian craftsmanship, offering excellent aging potential.

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.