Pierre Duroché's family has been bottling their own wines since the 1930s, when all but a handful of Burgundy growers — families like Duroché's neighbors, the Rousseaus—sold their produce to negociants. But the pioneering American... Read More

Pierre Duroché's family has been bottling their own wines since the 1930s, when all but a handful of Burgundy growers — families like Duroché's neighbors, the Rousseaus—sold their produce to negociants. But the pioneering American wine importers, Colonel Wildman and Frank Schoonmaker, who made international stars of the Rousseaus (et al.) skipped his address. The Duroché wines remained a French-only phenom.

That's beginning to change. Just a few years ago a member of the contemporary club of elite importers (thank you Doug Polaner) started importing the wines. Daniel Johnnes introduced the Duroché name at his La Paulée events. American Burgundy-lovers have caught up fast.

Whatever it is that drives Pierre up the faces of sheer cliffs, also drives him to work obsessively in the vineyard and in the cellar. The fastidiousness that keeps him alive when climbing translates to elegant wines with gorgeous fruit and pure terroir expressions. They hit a stylistic bullseye for today's Burgundy drinkers: subtle oak; just a touch reductive; red and blue fruited, with maybe a touch of orange; and always, the terroir. No wonder Duroché is suddenly one of the most talked-about “new” producers on the market.

Duroché has tiny plots in Premier and Grand Crus, but you don't have to shell out for the big bottles to see what all the fuss is about. His ability to make village Gevrey-Chambertin taste so extraordinary and distinct really sets him apart. Of course, this wouldn't be possible without his fantastic terroir: this is not across-the-road Gevrey, but good sites in Brochon, with plenty of old vines.