Laurent Delaunay resurrects family’s Burgundian estate

Laurent Delaunay, president of Badet Clément, is going to relaunch his family’s Burgundian estate this February at Wine Paris, having reacquired it from the Boisset family in 2017.

The estate, eponymously named after Laurent’s great grandfather Edouard Delaunay, will be relaunched at the Wine Paris show on 11 February.

Founded in 1893 by Edouard Delaunay and based at the Château de Charmont in the Hauts Côtes de Nuits, the estate was one of Burgundy’s leading names for nearly a century and was widely exported.

In the UK during the 1970s and ‘80s it was represented by David Peppercorn MW and Serena Sutcliffe MW and was listed in places such as Harrods, Harvey Nichols and The Savoy.

By 1992 however, illness forced then director Jean-Marie Delaunay (Laurent’s father) to sell the estate and it was bought by Boisset.

In 2017 Laurent bought the estate back and has reportedly poured €1.5 million into extensive renovations of the cellar and winery.

As well as a winery and cellar, the estate has access to grapes from some serious appellations in the Côtes de Beaune and Nuits – including grands crus such as Clos Vougeot, Corton Charlemagne and Charmes Chambertin.

Currently the domain buys grapes but has said it will “consider buying vineyards…if good opportunities arise”.

Laurent said in a statement: “My grandfather used to say that the House of Edouard Delaunay was ‘the smallest of the great Houses’.

My ambition has been to return it to its former glory and make Edouard Delaunay a leading Burgundian wine house once more, focused on excellence and high-end wines mainly from the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune.

“Thanks to many top estates that we are already working with via our company, DVP, which distributes Burgundian domaines, we already have grapes in prestigious appellations like Corton-Charlemagne, Charmes-Chambertin and Clos-Vougeot. From our second vintage, we will have some rare wines such as Montrachet and a Griotte-Chambertin.”

“We also have contemporary, accessible wines like those from the young appellation, Bourgogne Côte d’Or”.