For: Maison Joseph Drouhin: The Natural Elegance of Great Burgundies www.drouhin.com Contact information: Honora Horan, HH Communications Cathy Lischak, Dreyfus, Ashby (212) 662-3379 (212) 818-0770, Ext. 22 Email: hhoran@nyc.rr.com c.lischak@dreyfusashby.com

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW Maison Joseph Drouhin Melds Tradition with 21st Century Apps

Beaune, January 31, 2011 – Maison Joseph Drouhin (MJD), one of the leading producers of fine

Burgundy, may be 131 years old this year, but the combined energies and focus of the young, fourth

generation Drouhins who manage the company demonstrate that a wine producer with a strong tradition

can be as up-to-date, nimble and dynamic as any “new world” boutique winery. Last year, 2010, marked a

turning point for MJD, one of many over the years, and this year the American trade – and attentive

connoisseurs – will notice and benefit by a number of innovations Drouhin has begun implementing.

Take the introduction of a Quick Response (QR) code to the back label – probably a first for Burgundy

wines. Laurent Drouhin, who oversees Drouhin sales in the United States, recognized the user-friendly

potential of the QR code to provide information to consumers on Burgundy’s wines in a fun way, and he

spear-headed its use on the Drouhin line in the U. S. Now the back label of most Drouhin ’09 wines bears

the postage-stamp-size square code that enables anyone with a smart phone with a scanner (or camera)

and a QR app (an application that reads the QR code) to download information about the wine inside the

Drouhin bottles. Consumers can read about the place it comes from and the tasting notes of Veronique

Drouhin, who, as a trained oenologist, is the “guardian” of the elegant style of the House.

Last year marked official recognition of the organic methods long practiced by Philippe Drouhin, who

manages all the Drouhin vineyards in Burgundy, which total 73 hectares (182.5 acres). The back labels of

Drouhin’s Chablis line, Drouhin-Vaudon, now state that their estate vineyards are “entirely cultivated and

maintained with the utmost respect for the terroir and the environment.”

Given the Drouhin commitment to viticultural practices that rely on natural ways to protect and augment

the health of the vines and terroir, it comes as no surprise that Drouhin should have developed lighter

bottles to cast a lighter carbon footprint, all while providing maximum protection for their delicate

Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. This proprietary bottle, exclusive to Drouhin, is 10 percent lighter than the

bottles used heretofore. They will be easily recognized by the stamp of the company’s name on the

bottom of the bottle – and by anyone hefting a case.

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If there is any one wine synonymous with the

name Joseph Drouhin it is Beaune Clos des

Mouches, a premier cru vineyard of which they

own 12.9 hectares (31.9 acres) out of a total

25.13 hectares. It was Maurice Drouhin, son of

the founder, who first purchased Clos des

Mouches almost a century ago and who

designed the label with its six honey bees

(“mouches” is the old French word for honey

bees thought to have been kept in this vineyard

centuries ago), vine and classic type face. Yet

Drouhin’s Beaune Clos des Mouches label, like

the entire line, has also received a touch up. The

six bees still hover around the name, albeit split

up three and three, the vine is now simpler and

stylized, the type face is more contemporary,

and in place of “Recolte du Domaine” appear the

words “Beaune Premier Cru,” the classification

of this esteemed wine.

All these subtle yet important changes make their debut with a vintage already lauded for its quality. Like

all its twentieth-century vintage predecessors ending with a “9” (excepting the 1939 vintage), the 2009-

vintage Drouhin wines have met with praise and strong interest from buyers. Frederic Drouhin, CEO of

Maison Drouhin, has said, “These wines will take their place among the very greatest Burgundies.”

Tradition gives a foundation upon which to build, but it takes energy and enthusiasm, which the Drouhins

have in spades, to examine the new, embrace that which enhances the Burgundy experience or trade and

consumer understanding, and apply the best practices.

Joseph Drouhin wines are imported by Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., in New York City.

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