Demeine Estates has expanded its international portfolio, confirming an exclusive partnership with Burgundy’s La Chablisienne, based in France.
“Demeine Estates is thrilled to be the exclusive U.S. importer for this community of family winegrowers,” Demeine Estates SVP of global brand strategy and marketing, Scott Diaz, said in a press release. “La Chablisienne is the only winery in Chablis that produces serious wines from a mosaic of vineyard holdings while guaranteeing supply in a category with ongoing scarcity.”
Established in 1923, Chablisienne is considered one of the leading producers of Chablis. The cooperative winery owns a collection of 270 wine-growing families, and produces a quarter of the wine made in the AOC. Its revenue makes up the second largest quantity contributed to Burgundy’s total revenue in 2021.
La Chablisienne continues to be grower-owned without requiring any financial help.
“The U.S. market is very important for La Chablisienne as well as for Chablis,” general director, Damien Leclerc and export director, Olivier Masmondet, said in a press release. “We wanted to partner with a very fine importer, full of energy, with a family-based instinct that would also understand wine production and history.”
According to the press release, the vineyard currently holds 1,200 hectares, including 82% of Chablis Grand Cru Chateau Genouilles. The staff based at the vineyard works alongside growers throughout the year.
The growers are typically eligible to receive rewards as recognition for a 100-point quality classification system execution. Anything measuring beneath a 95 threshold is automatically declassified from La Chablisienne. Its operations correlate with the California-based winery’s “distinct style and long ‘elevage’ approach with a focus on quality and expression.”
Demeine is scheduled to import “nine premier crus, two grand crus, Chablis AOC, Petit Chablis, Aligoté, Sauvignon de Saint-Bris and Bourgogne Chardonnay of Chablis, from Côte de Nuits, responsible for Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey-Saint-Denis Village, Bourgogne Pinot Noir.”
“La Chablisienne aligns with our philosophies because of their superior vineyard holdings which consistently create the best quality wines, and make them stand out in a prestigious region,” Lawrence Wine Estates managing partner Carlton McCoy Jr. said in a press release.