Joel Delaunay

Joël Delaunay is our champion for unambiguously delicious wines in an affordable price band. The estate adorns the hillsides bordering the Cher River, a short drive from the Château de Chenonceau. Thierry Delaunay, fifth generation, joined in 1998 and succeeded his father in 2003 alongside his wife Marie. Thierry is proud of the estate in a boyish, non-arrogant sort of way; Marie is the whirlwind who keeps the operation moving. Impressively, they have greatly increased the size of the estate and production while the average quality of the wines has only gone up. Their pragmatic philosophy resonates with us because they have never sacrificed charm: Thierry and Marie remain uncorrupted by their success. The vineyards are farmed under lutte raisonnée, and Sauvignon Blanc (two-thirds of the plantings) has developed a devoted following for very good reason. This is Touraine at its most hardworking: the Sauvignon earnest and forthright, the Gamay easy and honest, the rosé a delight.

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Producer:	Joel Delaunay
Country:	France
Region:	Loire
Subregion:	Touraine, Tauraine Chenonceaux
City of Origin:	Pouillé
Date Founded:	1965
Owner Name:	Thierry and Marie Delaunay
Vineyard Size:	98.80 acres
Total Annual Production:	1,000,000 bottles

Property History:

The property has been passed from father to son for 5 generations. In 1965, Joël Delaunay settled down and gives the domain the name that we know today. He began marketing in bottles in the early 1970s and expanded to retail and export sales in 1980. For 50 years, he continued to enlarge the Domain by purchasing vines and constructing a sales cellar and modern winery .

Owner History:

Thierry was born February 6, 1973 Married, 2 children Back in 1991, I left in the Bordeaux wine school in Montagne-Libourne to spend my BTS viticulture-œnologie in 1993. In 1994, I did my internship for six months in Saint-Emilion and then I came back to work on the family estate in Touraine, the Domaine Joël Delaunay, and became a co-owner with my parents in 1998.