**All images were provided by Drouet**
While the name Drouet didn’t become its own brand until 1987, the family has been in the spirit business for much longer. In 1848, Ulysse and Elina Dumargue (great-grandparents of the current owners) worked for the L’Homme family as housekeepers at their estate in Grande Champagne. The head of the estate, Jean L’Homme, was a very talented winemaker and distiller. He was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix d’Eaux-de-Vie diploma from the Brussels International Exposition in 1897. This document is still on display at the estate today.
Ulysse and Elina worked with the L’Homme family for most of their lives. Their daughter, Irène Dumargue, married Gabriel Drouet and they were next to take over running the L’Homme estate. During this time, all the eaux-de-vie being produced was sold to other merchants in the region. Even though Gabriel and Irène lived through the phylloxera outbreak and a very low profitability period in cognac’s history, they managed to save every little bit they could. By 1915, they had enough money set aside to buy a few small nearby vineyards. While they now owned some of their own land, they continued running the L’Homme estate to supplement their income.
It wasn’t until 1969 that things began to change for the Drouet family. Gérard, son of Gabriel and Irène, and his wife Monique, were now firmly in control of the family vineyards. It was at this time that they bought the outbuildings of the L’Homme estate. In addition, they purchased a few more vineyards and, most importantly, a four hectoliter still. The Drouet family now officially owned the L’Homme estate outright. This is when they could begin distilling and aging their own cognac from their vines.
Gérard and Monique continued to make improvements to the property over the next several decades. Things such as upgrading the still room and property buildings, cellars, etc. They had a son, Patrick, who began to learn all the aspects of cognac production from his parents. In 1987, they encouraged Patrick to produce his very own Pineau des Charentes. He took their advice while also expanding their range of cognac’s. During this time, two traditional ten hectoliter stills and some more vineyards were also purchased. The Drouet name officially became a brand as they began selling directly to the public instead of only to the large houses.
Today, Patrick and his wife, Corinne, run the Drouet estate in Salles-d’Angles which is about 12k south of the city of Cognac. They own 43 hectares of vineyards in both Grande and Petite Champagne. Approximately 30 hectares in Grande Champagne and 10 hectares in Petite Champagne. Their standard lineup of cognacs come only from their Grande Champagne vineyards. They are as follows: VS, VSOP, Réserve de Jean, XO Ulysse, and Paradis de Famille Hors d’Age.
As of 2017, Patrick started using some of their Petite Champagne grapes in more of an unique way. The ‘Barrel Strength Collection’ was born to push the boundaries of the AOC and express its terroir in a new way. Focusing on things such as double maturation, higher alcohol percentages, and different distillation techniques, he created what they call their “craft cognacs.” The four expressions that have been released as of this writing are very small, limited releases.
In terms of their core range, the majority of the grapes are Ugni Blanc. However, they also use a small percentage of Colombard in all of these blends. Distillation happens on the lees across the board. Every new eau-de-vie is aged for a period of time in brand new oak, approximately 10 months, before being transferred to old barrels to finish the rest of their aging journey. Drouet has four different cellars used for aging their eaux-de-vie. Both dry and humid cellars are used to create a wide variety of options in the blending process. Patrick handles everything from distillation, to aging, and blending the final product.
A unique aspect of Drouet is their dedication to the land they own. In the 1990’s, they began implementing sustainable agricultural practices like water conservation and moving away from pesticides. In 2016, Drouet began the process of getting all their vineyards to be HVE certified. The Haute Valeur Environnementale, or High Environmental Value, process was created by the French Ministry of Agriculture. It focuses on four elements: biodiversity, plant protection strategy, management of fertilizer use, and management of water.
In January 2018, through the dedication of Patrick and his team, Drouet was awarded a level 3 HVE for the estate, the highest certification possible. They have installed bee hives to help pollinate the land, have three hectares of fallow land to promote indigenous species, and use recycled rain water to wash all their tools. Drouet is also additive free in all their cognac’s and a 100% family run operation.
Visit the official Drouet website by clicking HERE.
