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Domaine Drouhin Oregon acquires second estate in Willamette Valley

10 August 2022 By Arabella Mileham

The Burgundian Drouhin family has extended its holdings in the Willamette Valley with the acquisition of Methven Family Vineyards by its US-based company Domaine Drouhin Oregon.

Head winemaker and ‘Guardian of the Drouhin Palate’ Véronique Boss-Drouhin is responsible for maintaining the Drouhin style across the family’s Oregon, Burgundy and Chablis holdings.

The property lies in Willamette Valley’s Eola-Amity Hills AVA and includes a winery facility, visitor space, and comprises about 85 acres, 30 of which are designated as LIVE-certified sustainable vineyards planted with Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.

The Beaune-based Drouhin family acquired their first vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA back in 2013, with the acquisition of Roserock Oregon, but has been farming in the Willamette Valley since 1987, when they established Domaine Drouhin Oregon in Dundee Hills.

The Domaine Drouhin Oregon estate comprises 235 acres, 130 acres of which are certified sustainable by LIVE.

Fourth-generation winemaker Véronique Boss-Drouhin, who manages the Burgundy business along with her brothers Philippe, Laurent, and Frédéric, said the family were grateful to the Methven family for having created a “special place”, which was “perfectly located” midway between the Dundee Hills vineyards and the Roserock vineyard further south in the Eola-Amity Hills.

“It fits very well into who we are in Oregon, and our plans for the future,” she said.

Jill Methven, widow of the late Dr Allen Methven who founded the winery, said she was happy to hand the reins to the Drouhin Family, following her husband’s death earlier this year.

“Allen was passionate about Willamette Valley wine, our winery and our vineyards. It would please him deeply to know that his work is in such good hands,” she said.

The Methven family will retain their existing wine brand, and the operation of the tasting room in Dundee.

Maison Joseph Drouhin was established in 1880, but it was not until 1921 that Joseph’s son, Maurice Drouhin, purchased his first parcel of vines in the Clos des Mouches on the southernmost tip of the Beaune appellation, halfway between Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet.

David Millman, President and CEO of Domaine Drouhin Oregon, said that although the team knew the Methvens were considering selling the property a couple years ago, it wasn’t “the right moment”, however “we came back to the idea a few months ago.”

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