Carel Voorhuis of Camille Giroud - Interviewed by Jasper

14 Jan 2021: Camille Giroud has tiny vineyard holdings in Beaune; otherwise relying on contracts from as far afield as Marsannay and Maranges, with particular strengths in Corton and the Gevrey Chambertin vineyards.

The quality of winemaking is consistent and very much in the modern, quality-oriented genre, although the practice of very gentle oak treatment and little racking continues, so that each cuvée shows a very individual character.

Camille-Giroud had a long history as a négociant that released powerful, very long-lived wines. In 2000, it was sold to a group of American investors, and David Croix installed as director, who, to put it simply, is a genius, and made a raft of great wines until his departure in 2016. His successor is Carel Voorhuis, who is crafting similarly pure, seductive and terroir-driven wines. The course charted for the Maison from its origin remains unchanged, whilst pursuing new projects implemented since 2002.

There are two parts to the Camille Giroud story. With the first begining in 1865 when the enterprising young Camille Giroud founded the small négociant firm which carries his name. He married late, as did his son, so by the end of the 20th century the company was still being run by the founder’s daughter-in-law and her two sons. The company’s motto in the later days was to make wine in as old-fashioned a way as possible: heavy extraction and very long barrel ageing. Part of the crop might be sold early on but most was kept back until it was ready to drink, which might be 30 or 40 years later. There were plenty of misses but also some extraordinarily fine wines. Almost all production was and still is red. Stocks of these old style wines still exist, with various 1976s still to be offered for sale.

In January 2002 the company was bought by an American consortium led by banker Joe Wender and winery owner Ann Colgin, and a new chapter began.  The business is managed by winemaker/technical director David Croix (of the eponymous Domaine des Croix) with a major revamping of the winemaking facilities and especially replacement and renewal of the old barrels to make wines in a much purer, more modern style. The company also owns 1.20 hectares of vineyards, consisting of Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, Beaune premier cru Cras and Beaune premier cru Avaux.

Camille Giroud Wine Samples:

1. 2017 Santenay, Clos Rousseau, 1er Cru
2. 2018 Meursault, Les Vireuils
3. 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet, Tonton Marcel, 1er Cru
4. 2018 Corton, Renardes, Grand Cru
5. 2017 Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru
6. 2018 Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru

Watch the video replay here.

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