Pierre Jacques Druet: Vineyards
During his tenure of this domaine Pierre Jacques Druet was regarded as one of Bourgueil’s most talented vignerons, and many, I’m sure, would have ranked him at the very top of this Loire appellation. He came to Bourgueil via a rather circuitous route, first graduating from the Lycée de Beaune before further studies at Montpellier and Bordeaux. Although the son of a négociant, his father’s business did not interest him, and he set out to build up his own domaine. In order to raise funds he started out selling viticultural equipment including presses, but also occupied himself managing an export company in Bordeaux and making wine in Switzerland of all places, before he settled in Bourgueil in 1980, at the age of 32
Pierre Jacques Druet acquired vineyards mostly around Bourgueil, building the domaine up to an admirable 18 hectares. This portfolio of vineyards included a number of parcels of significant age, with some more than a hundred years old. The approach to viticulture was along the lines of lutte raisonnée, using chemical treatments where appropriate, but in a considered manner and not to excess. I asked Druet about whether he had considered switching to organic or biodynamic viticulture, but these increasingly popular methods did not interest him. He considered them too problematic, and it seemed to me that he felt he had found a middle way, one which allowed him to use sprays and treatments when he deemed it necessary.
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