Founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin in Beaune, France, Maison Joseph Drouhin has grown from a local négociant into a premier Burgundian estate. Known for pioneering organic and biodynamic viticulture since the 1980s, the family-run house manages extensive vineyards across the Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, and Chablis.
But beside Burgundy, Joseph Drouhin is also known for pioneering the promotion and distribution of Beaujolais wines since the 1950s. In case you do not know the difference between the two regions, Burgundy produces red wines from the Pinot Noir grape while Beaujolais red wines come from the Gamay Noir grape.
Most people know about Burgundy, the quality and prices of their wines, with Beaujolais, being viewed as a lower quality wine, especially with the yearly push of Beaujolais Nouveaux Wines. But from this tasting note, you will see that Beaujolais does make quality wines. There are twelve appellations that make up the higher quality wines from Saint Amour in the north to Beaujolais-Villages in the south. The appellation, Beaujolais, is the furthest south. As you go south the climate gets warmer and you in general will get riper fruit. Burgundy is north of Beaujolais, and is cooler climate.
I received bottles of Joseph Drouhin Cote de Beaune 2021 and Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages 2022 to review for you. Let me tell you about them.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Joseph Drouhin Cote de Beaune 2021 (BC $99.99)
Appearance: A clear, very translucent, beautiful, lighter garnet colour.
Nose: Medium intensity, inviting aromas of toast, red cherries, and hints of nutmeg with swirling. The toastiness was the more intense on the nose than the red cherries. No change to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry, medium-plus body with a smooth, round mouthfeel. Medium acidity and light tannins. Red fruits, raspberries, and a touch of nutmeg. Add hints of candied cherries and floral with swirling. A light touch of oak. The wine gets a little lighter bodied and lighter mouthfeel after decanting. You can add some tart cherries to the flavour profile.
Finish: Medium-plus to long length, finishing with prominent nutmeg, along with red fruits and red cherries. There is also a bit of oak bitterness. Add candied cherries to the finish after decanting.
This is a terrific, elegant wine. Top quality. I love the translucent colour, mouthfeel, and cherry and red fruit flavours of this wine. Decanting did not make much difference, so open this wine and enjoy it at your leisure.
Rating: 
– Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune 2021 displays a clear, very translucent, lighter garnet hue with inviting aromas of toast, red cherries and a hint of nutmeg, with the toast more prominent. Dry, with medium-plus body, this wine offers a smooth, round mouthfeel with red fruits, raspberries, touches of nutmeg and light oak flavours, adding candied cherry, floral and tart cherry notes with air. The medium-plus to long finish lingers with red cherries and red fruit, plus nutmeg spice and some oak bitterness.
Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages 2022 (BC $30.98)
Appearance: A deep, garnet colour; about 85% opaque.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of red fruits, red plums, some candied cherries and violets, plus some woodiness. The aromas were subdued upon first opening and thought there might be a taint issue, but I re-tasted the wine after decanting, and the aromas were stronger and brighter. Upon decanting, the wine has nice, sweet, dark berry and juicy plum aromas and the woodiness was gone.
Palate: Medium body, light mouthfeel and very smooth and soft on the palate. Medium acidity and light tannins. Subdued red fruit, raspberry, red cherry and plum flavours, plus woodiness. After decanting the red cherry, raspberry and plum aromas were stronger, and I also enjoyed tasting candied cherries and floral components. The woodiness disappeared.
Finish: Medium to medium-plus length, finishing with pepperiness, light red fruit and lightly drying tannins. After decanting the wine finished with red cherries and juicy berry flavours.
This wine really needed a decanting for it to open up, burn off any woodiness on the nose and palate, and have the fruit aromas and flavours really show themselves. I recommend drinking this wine, only after decanting.
Rating: 
– with decanting. Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages 2022 shows a deep garnet colour with medium-minus aromas of red fruits, red plums, candied cherries and violets, initially subdued but brightening nicely with air to reveal sweeter dark berries and juicy plums. Medium bodied with a light, smooth mouthfeel, it offers red cherry, raspberry and plum flavours with medium acidity and light tannins, gaining more candied cherry and floral character after decanting. The finish is medium to medium-plus in length, starting with lightly peppery red fruits then adding fresh red cherry and juicy berry notes after decanting.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase Joseph Drouhin Cote de Beaune 2021 at BC Liquor stores. The Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages 2022 is available at Everything Wine stores. These wines may be available at other specialty wine shops, but you will need to check on your own.
