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ROBERT DROUHIN
President of the Control Board of
Maison Joseph Drouhin
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Robert Jousset-Drouhin was born in Paris in 1933. His mother,
Thérèse Jousset-Drouhin, was the daughter of Joseph Drouhin,
founder of Maison Joseph Drouhin. His father, Dr. André Jousset,
was a prominent physician. André and Thérèse died
in 1935 and 1940. Their children, including Robert and his two sisters,
were brought to Beaune to live with their uncle Maurice Drouhin who later
adopted them as his children. As head of Maison
Joseph Drouhin, Maurice played a pivotal role in his son's future. " From
the age of 14, I began tasting wine regularly with my father. I had to constantly
compare one village to another, one climat to another, one vintage to another.
In fact, the 1929 to 1947 vintages still remain among my most vivid memories
as testimonies of the past and of what Burgundy must produce".
Between 1951 and 1953, Robert studied law in Paris, then literature at
the University of Heidelberg. In 1954 he was drafted in North Africa, as
a lieutenant of infantry radio communications. Later, he was detached to
the French Foreign Legion. He was discharged in 1957. At this time,
his uncle became partially paralyzed by a stroke : at the age of 24, Robert
returned to Beaune to become president of Maison Joseph Drouhin !
At the time, Robert Drouhin draw
on his knowledge of the climats he knew so intimately as well as his extensive
wine tasting experience. He also relied heavily on the practical wine-making
expertise of Drouhin's chef de cave who was, in the Burgundian fashion of
the day, also a cooper. Under the guidance of Doctor Michel at the Station
Oenologique of Beaune, he studied the new science of oenology. From that
time on, he has devoted himself to studying and perfecting his wines.
In 1961, he married a childhood friend,
Françoise Grafé. They have four children. Philippe (1961),
Véronique (1962), Laurent (1966), and Frédéric (1968).
Early in his career, he experimented oenological practices. He used
to say to fellow Burgundians, "Be careful, tradition can result in intellectual
sclerosis." However, without denying oenology, as one vintage followed
another, he has become more of a traditionalist, taking from the ancient
Burgundian ways what is best suited to the production of fine wines :
"History and tradition influence everything we do".
Viticulturist of the future,
Robert Drouhin is rooted in the eternal past of one of the world's oldest,
finest and most complex wine regions.
2003 : Robert Drouhin
was named President of the Control Board of Maison Joseph Drouhin.
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