Domaine Drouhin

Domaine Drouhin Arthur Chardonnay (2023)

£35.00

2023 • 75cl • 13.9%

White • Pure & Elegant • Chardonnay

93 pts - James Suckling

The Drouhin family brought four generations of Burgundian Chardonnay to Oregon - Arthur is their Dundee Hills estate wine, made to read like a pure Chablis crossed with an elegant Meursault.

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When Maison Joseph Drouhin bought land atop the Dundee Hills in 1987, it was a Burgundy house betting that Oregon could grow Chardonnay with the same clarity it had spent a century making in France. Arthur - named after winemaker Véronique Boss-Drouhin's son - is the wine that proves the point.

It comes entirely from Dijon clones planted on the Drouhin Family Estate in 1990, rooted in the red volcanic Jory soils that define the Dundee Hills. The fruit is hand-picked, whole-cluster pressed, then split: part fermented in French oak to build complexity and depth, the rest in stainless steel to hold its freshness. Véronique blends the two into a deliberately delicate whole - in her words, elements of a pure Chablis and an elegant Meursault in one glass.

The result is a Chardonnay of orchard fruit and citrus, baking spice and honeysuckle, with a mineral line running underneath and a long, finely textured finish. Serve cool, around 10-12°C.

The 2023 Vintage

2023 opened with an unusually late budbreak on April 30, then a sudden heat surge and almost no rain - a run so dry it compressed budbreak to bloom into under 45 days, a record for the estate. The vines took it in their stride, and the fruit came in clean before the late-September rains arrived. The wine that resulted is fresh and finely detailed, orchard fruit and citrus over a clear mineral seam, with the depth to reward keeping. Véronique expects it to be something to behold over the next seven to ten years.

Drink: now - 2031

The Fulham Wine Co Take

A Burgundy family making Chardonnay in Oregon is no longer a novelty, but Arthur is still one of the most convincing arguments for why they came. The barrel-and-steel blend gives you Chablis tension and Meursault weight in the same glass, without the price either of those would now command. Drink it now for the freshness, or give it a few years to deepen.

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Domaine Drouhin

Domaine Drouhin Oregon forms a rare bridge between the revered slopes of Burgundy and the volcanic soils of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Established in 1987 by the legendary Drouhin family, the estate brought generations of Burgundian expertise to the Dundee Hills, guided by their philosophy of “French Soul, Oregon Soil.” High-density plantings, meticulous vineyard work and a restrained winemaking approach result in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay defined by finesse, structure and balance. These are poised, age-worthy wines that combine Old World precision with the vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest.

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Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley is America's answer to Burgundy - the cool, green Oregon valley where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown with one eye firmly on France. The pull is real enough that Burgundy houses have crossed the Atlantic to plant here, drawn by the iron-rich volcanic soils and the long, mild ripening that the grape needs. The wines have French soul and Oregon openness in equal measure: bright, perfumed Pinot and taut Chardonnay built for the table.

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