New fine wine powerhouse Goedhuis Waddesdon boost commercial portfolio

Fine wine company Goedhuis Waddesdon has announced two new suppliers for its commercial portfolio – the first new signings since the company was formed through a merger last November. 

The newly enlarged group, which was formed from the merger of fine wine merchant Goedhuis & Co and Rothschild distributor Waddesdon Wine, has signed Burgundian producer Roche de Bellene and Ox Hardy from McLaren Vale.

Helen Miller, commercial director at Goedhuis Waddesdon, said that the additions demonstrated “exactly what we set out to do in merging”.

“Goedhuis & Co. has long been celebrated for the exceptional collection of wines available to its private clients, and with our expertise, we’re thrilled to now be able to market these prestigious high-quality wines to our trade clients; premium retailers, restaurants, and hotels”

Maison Roche de Bellene was founded in 2008 by Nicolas Potel who worked with winemakers to source an eclectic range of regional, Village and Premier Cru Burgundies, as well as one of the largest selection of Grand Cru wines in Burgundy.

Potel said that he had been working with the Goedhuis & Co. team “for some time” and was looking forward to developing the relationship further as they move forward as Goedhuis Waddesdon.

“Combining this experience, expertise and first-class levels of service is what really attracts me to building a long-term future with the business and means I can share my wines with more Burgundy lovers,” he said.

It has also signed McLaren-vale based Ox Hardy, a multi-generational winemaking team which dates back to the  late 1870s. The 140-hectare farm in Blewitt Springs, lies in the upper slopes of McLaren Vale, among 100 hectares of native scrub and pasture, 35 hectares of which are planted with vines, some of which date back to 1891. Andre ‘Ox’ Hardy’s winemaking experience itlsef spans four decades, and he has worked with some of the great estates in Australia and abroad. Today he focuses his energy crafting “benchmark wines which showcase the terroir of the iconic Upper Tintara Vineyard”, the company said, including three expressions of estate grown Blewitt Springs Shiraz.

Hardy said that the connection and sense of community that winemaking brings “is something I look for in the partners I choose to work with”, which is why he had enjoyed working with Goedhuis & Co’s private client portfolio.

“In extending this relationship to the off and on trade as part of working with Goedhuis Waddesdon, I’m excited to share these connections and our family’s winemaking history with a wider audience.”

Goedhuis Waddesdon was created last November from fine wine merchant Goedhuis & Co and Rothschild distributor Waddesdon Wine, a subsidiary of the Rothschild Foundation which represents wines from Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite and Edmond de Rothschild Heritage exclusively in the UK. Although initially the two businesses have continued to trade under their own names, the intention is to fully integrate them over time to become “a formidable presence” in the wine industry and  create a “new destination for wine collectors, retailers and hospitality businesses”.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild retains a minority shareholding in the newly merged Goedhuis Waddesdon Limited.