Edouard Delaunay

The story of a renaissance

The House of Edouard Delaunay was purchased in 2017 by Laurent Delaunay, the founder's great-grandson, after having gradually fallen into oblivion since the 1990s. Since then, Laurent has been working to restore Maison Delaunay to its rightful place.

The Delaunay family has been involved with wine since the 18th century, according to documents kept by the family. In the 19th century, Edouard Delaunay père and his brother Louis were wine merchants in Nantes and Angers. In 1893, one of their Burgundian suppliers asked Edouard Delaunay père to hand over his estate to Edouard Delaunay fils (the supplier was childless). The estate was created in 1893.

On November 10, 1918, Edouard Delaunay bought a cuvée from the Hospices de Beaune... the day before the armistice! His sons, Jean and Marcel Delaunay would give the estate its real impetus from the 1920s onwards.

The company made a name for itself in the world of travel. Major companies of the time (Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Compagnie de l'Orient Express, Air France, Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, Cunard...) made Edouard Delaunay their first supplier. In 1932, the prestigious Domaine de la Romanée Conti and the Liger-Belair family entrusted them with the distribution of their prestige wines. In 1954, the company moved to Étang-Vergy in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits-Saint-Georges.

The estate continued to flourish until the 1980s, before falling into oblivion in the 1990s. Laurent Delaunay, Edouard's great-grandson, began making Languedoc wines in 1995, launching several brands and estates. In 2017, he bought back the family estate and decided to restore it to its former glory.

A renaissance blending art and mastery

The house buys the finest quality grapes from the region's best vineyards, while taking care to select the most environmentally-friendly vines and promoting organic farming. The estate works hand-in-hand with the winemakers every season, and takes care to hand-pick the grapes itself.

The winery and historic family cellars have been completely renovated, enabling high-precision vinification and ageing. The work is adapted to each plot, each cuvée and each grape, enabling them to express themselves to the full. Didier, the cellarman, is a native of the village and learned from his father, a former cellarman. The house has taken great care to find old cellar tools (core, cinnamon, sapine, poulain...) and has sometimes had to re-make those that have disappeared.

Initially, the company concentrated on the heart of Burgundy, with two appellations: Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Since then, it has expanded to many of the region's appellations.

The wines

The Corton Bressandes Grand Cru offers a beautiful red color, a nose of great aromatic and floral purity, composed of fresh wild fruits. The palate is spicier, with a licorice finish. This wine is powerful on the palate, with excellent ageing potential.

La cuvée Septembre has an attractive red color and an expressive, fresh, crisp nose of cherry and redcurrant jelly followed by notes of pastry. It offers a lovely fresh, round attack on the palate, with a fine balance between complexity and freshness, typical of pinot noir.

The Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes stands out with its dark color and beautiful violet highlights. The nose is superb, powerful and racy, with aromas of cherry, licorice and coffee. On the palate, cherry and licorice notes follow through to the finish, with well-integrated oak and a saline finish.