Domaine Dublère sold

One of my favourite Burgundian estates, Domaine Dublère, has been sold, and will continue as a part of Domaine des Terres de Velle.

Blair Pethel, the founder of Domaine Dublère, has decided to pass the torch — and the estate vineyards and installations — to Sophie and Fabrice Laronze, the managers of Domaine des Terres de Velle in Auxey-Duresses and, coincidentally, his next-door neighbours.

New owner – new label

The sale will take effect next month, meaning the Domaine Dublère label will cease to exist, as the wines of the 2017 and 2018 vintages will be sold under the Domaine des Terres de Velle label.

The style of the wines of Domaine des Terres de Velle is, according to Blair Pethel, quite similar to the Domaine Dublère style, and therefore it’s natural to let his wines take their place in the current line-up of Domaine des Terres de Velle. However, going forward the Laronzes will stick mostly to estate wines, and will likely scale back Dublère’s negociant bottlings.

A bit of history

Blair Pethel began his Burgundy quest in 2003 and began to make wine in 2004 – after a 25-year career as political journalist in Washington, London and other cities.

Domaine Dublère (du Blair) was the name of the new estate, and for the next 15 years this was the passion and pride of Blair – making wines from Savigny-lès-Beaune to the mighty Corton-Charlemagne hill.

Lovely and enjoyable wines in my view – and always a pleasure to visit Blair and taste the new vintage.

Blair Pethel, after some reflection, has decided to move on and to sell the estate, to pursue other projects and interests in Beaune and around the world. As Blair explained, “It’s important to retire from active duties while you can still enjoy and explore.”

On a more personal note, it’s a sad day to say goodbye to the Dublère estate for the fresh and uncomplicated view on the wine world – and especially the vivid and very enjoyable wines made by Blair.