Bouzereau-Gruere et Filles

MEURSAULT – I have been working with Hubert since 2000. He was the 7th generation winemaker in the family and had been making their wines since 1970. Today, Hubert is retired (which means he works in the vineyards most days) and two of his daughters have taken over the reins of the family estate.

Hubert is from Meursault. He married a woman, Marie-France, from Chassagne-Montrachet. Together, they have 4 daughters. Two of their daughters, Marie-Anne and Marie-Laure, are now the family’s winemakers. They have taken their place as the 8th generation of winemakers in this family steeped in Burgundian tradition. In fact, several years ago, they were honored as the “best young winemakers in the Cote de Beaune”. Very prestigious!

This is truly a family affair. The family cares for the vines and hand harvests the grapes. They tried machines at one time, but felt the resulting wine was noticeably inferior. They visually inspect every bunch of grapes and hand sort them. The most concentrated and best tasting fruit is kept for the family name. The lesser quality fruit is sold to a negociant. Similarly, at pressing, the best juice is kept for the family’s wines. The remainder is then sold off to a negociant. This is “win-win” because the family keeps its quality standards intact and receives immediate cash flow whereas the negociants receive more material for their mass-produced wines.

Furthermore, this is a family of winemakers, not marketers. The average age of their vines is 55 years old, but they do not put “old vines” on any of their labels. This family’s work is of such high quality that several of their relatives enlist them to make their wine, which is bottled under the relatives’ names. I only import this family’s personal wines, though.

Website: http://www.bouzereaugruere.com/