Patriarche Pere & Fils A Great Burgundy House
From sipping sparkling in business class to tasting exceptional reds and whites inside Burgundy’s largest underground cellar!
F ounded in Beaune in 1780 by Jean-Baptiste Patriarche, Patriarche Père & Fils is one of the oldest negociants in Burgundy. In 1796 he acquired the Convent of the Visitandines. 222 years later, Patriarche welcomes 45,000 visitors per year in its underground cellars – with 5 km of tunnels – of which some date back to the 13th century. The company’s headquarters are still hosted at this historical site!
From the start Patriarche has exported Burgundy wines all around the world. Today the company’s wines are sold in more than 80 countries, on all continents. USA, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom and Sweden are among the top markets. Each year Patriarche exports half a million bottles of prestigious Burgundy AOC wines. The company proposes more than 50 appellations. They include regional appelllations like Bourgogne Chardonnay and Bourgogne Pinot Noir, village appellations (Nuits-Saint-Georges, Gevrey- Chambertin, …), and Premiers Crus and Grands Crus (Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru, …). Patriarche has privileged relationships with multiple grapegrowers to source its grapes and craft its wines. The bottles age in the company’s underground cellars, where 3 million bottles are kept in the best conditions of temperature and humidity.
Patriarche cellars are the largest underground cellars in Burgundy and they are one of the most remarkable places to visit in Beaune. The historical richness of the site includes also an 18th century Baroque chapel. In the 1950s, Patriarche became one of the first houses to open its doors to the public: a pioneer for wine tourism. In 2015, the site was redesigned and renovated to include a 160m² welcoming shop. Once underground you have the opportunity to taste some of the wines. A sommelier can help you pick from 300 references. The oldest wine in the cellar dates from 1904 (not available to taste). The site is open 361 days per year for a self-guided tour (€17), including 10 wines to taste. Modern videos at various points along the tour add user-friendly education.
From the 1950s Patriarche has been at the front row of buyers in the auction room.
Hospices de Beaune
One of the best times to visit Patriarche is during the celebrated Hospice de Beaune wine auction. During the long weekend of the 2018 auction – 16, 17 and 18 November – the estate features a €35-per-person tasting program of 10 wines, including premiers crus of Burgundy reaching back to 1980.
The Hospices de Beaune were created more than 550 years ago to provide care for the sick and shelter for the destitute. Thanks to benefactors, the Hospices today oversee a domain of 61 hectares of mostly premiers and grands crus.
Sparkling skies to seas
Patriache has been a pioneer for sparking wines since the 1950s. Whether sipped in business class high in the sky or enjoyed on a Bahamas-bound cruise ship, Patriarche’s sparkling wines also are market winners.
For a recent Valentine’s Day promotion Delta Air lines travelers who flew between New York’s JFK airport and San Francisco received free mini bottles of Patriarche’s celebrated Veuve du
Vernay Rosé sparkling wine. Over the past five years, it has been offered for business class passengers.
Veuve du Vernay is the largest non- Champagne French sparkling wine sold in the United States, where Patriarche also provides over 2 million bottles of sparkling wine to cruiselines.
Veuve du Vernay is made using the Charmat Method, by which secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The 12 grams of residual sugar brings a richer style of dry. The bubbly sells well in markets some may find less obvious, says Philippe Marion, sales & marketing director: 500,000 bottles of its sweeter line of sparklers – Veuve du Vernay Ice – are sold in Nigeria alone. Made from a variety of grapes with 40 grams of residual sugar, it is often served with ice cubes in large white plastic glasses. A beach party in Kribi, Cameroon, is planned next year to launch the Ice brand there.
Higher end Champagne-method (bottle-fermentation) Patriarche Crémant
de Bourgogne which exudes more depth and body, is the second leading nonChampagne sparkling wine sold in France. In all, Patriarche produces over 45 mililion bottles of sparkling wine per year from entry level to premiums. Other strong brands include Louis Perdrier, Pol Rémy and Léonce Bocquet.