Close Menu
News

Laurent Delaunay future-proofs with extended Burgundy offer

Since buying back the family business in 2017, Laurent Delaunay of Bourgogne negociant house Edouard Delaunay has focussed on reviving the reputation of the house, however new projects in 2025 will help broaden the business’s customer base, reports Arabella Mileham.

2025 is set to be an important year for Burgundian producer Laurent Delaunay.

The revival of the company founded by his grandfather, Edouard Delaunay began in 2017, when Laurent bought back the winery, brand and cellar from the Boisset family, who had held it for 25 years. He soon added his existing property Château de Charmont in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits to the business, and set about restoring the château and winery, rebuilding the team.

“What we did with Edouard Delaunay since we bought it back in 2017 was the right strategy – to feature the top wines of Burgundy from the Cote de Nuit and Cotes de Beaune only, top appellations with small volume only, traditional and high value approach,” Delaunay explains. “But these aren’t available for everyone, they are expensive for a variety of reasons, and we were feeling the need and demand from our customers and distributors for more affordable, larger-volumes wines.”

Having been wondering how to adapt to the market and the economic recession and looking at making Burgundy more affordable, he decided to launch not a new brand, but an extension of the business – only under his own, not his grandfather’s name.

In September 2024 Les Grappillages by Laurent Delaunay was launched as this extension, thereby keeping the existing Edouard Delaunay negociant business for the high-end Burgundies, while the new business will focus on the wider, lower end of the market.

The new range of “more affordable” wines under Laurent’s own name come from the Greater Burgundy area, including a Bourgogne Pinot Noir and Bourgogne Chardonnay, a Mâcon Village, a Pouilly-Fuissé, a Beaujolais Village and Beaujolais Crus Morgon and Fleurie, as well as Chablis and a Petit Chablis.

“It is a very modern approach, with very modern packaging, different to Edouard Delaunay” he said. “Modern winemaking with good freshness and fruit expression – and pretty well priced.”

The initial US launch in September went into 280 Total Wine & More stores, with the UK following soon. Two wines, a Chablis and a Fleurie will be launching into Morrisons, with the Asia market also on the list.

“I think it will be very successful, we shipped 200,000 bottles in 2024, but we expect it will be 500,000 bottles in 2025.”

Hautes Côtes ambitions

 

Partner Content

The new business is far from the only project on the agenda though. One of Delauney’s key ambitions is to buy vineyards or land or vineyards and the Hautes Côtes is an area high on his list – he already buys grapes to produce two generic and three single vineyard Hautes Côtes wines .

“We buy a lot (of grapes) in the Hautes Côtes, and I really still believe in its potential,” he told db. “It is very important for me to show that the Hautes Côtes can have the climat… and I think there are some specific terroirs that, although they have not been explored, have huge potential.” So strong is his belief that he is sure that it could see the next premier cru, although he admits that could year many years – and a single vineyard site there is therefore important.

Other producers in the Côte de Nuits are looking there, he says as it is “one of the only solutions is to expand”

“It’s a very interesting soil for the Burgundian, very close to the Côte de Beaune, almost merging in some places.”

“We feel that there is going to be more pressure on coming years.”

This year will see the start of a new cartographic survey mapping not only the soils but the biodiversity of the Hautes Côtes to provide a roadmap of how to approach the area. Currently only around 50% is planted of its total 4,000 hectares, but as 85% of the Hautes Côtes is classified Natura 2000 (part of a network of natural sites of protection and conservation), this is not likely to change.

The goal of the project is therefore to identify the most important priority sites for vines based on the terroir with respect for the biodiversity and balance.

“We want to do it in a reasonable way,” Delaunay explains. “We have to be very careful, which is why we’re working with environmental specialists.”

“I am still convinced that the Hautes Côtes can adapt to climate change a very good solution to finding cooler terroir is to go north or go higher up, but still be in proximity to Côte de Beaune/ Côte de Nuits,” he adds – after all the average annual temp is 1 degree cooler here than in the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, providing valuable future-proofing.

However, in addition to the Hautes Côtes project, the team is already in discussion with investors to buy a “flagship vineyard” in the Cotes de Nuit or Cotes de Beaune.

“If we do all that, it will be a great achievement,” he said.

Related news

Monocépage Merlot from the Médoc – how good can it be?

Where is the fine wine market heading in 2025?

Fells makes three additions to its portfolio

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No