Jacques Dunay: a love story between Burgundy and the Rhône Valley
Jacques Dunay was born in 1947 in Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines, into a family of civil servants. After passing his baccalauréat, Jacques studied pharmacy in Dijon, but soon realized that he much preferred the world of wine to that of medicine! He changed direction and passed his oenology diploma with flying colors at the University of Dijon.
For several years, Jacques Dunay worked for various wine merchants in Beaune. While on vacation in the south of France with friends, his car broke down in Avignon, which like Beaune is a historic city in the middle of the Rhone vineyards. He took advantage of his forced stay to taste a number of Rhône Valley crus in the old town. He quickly fell in love with the complexity and diversity of the region's terroirs and grape varieties... and he fell equally in love with Liliane, the daughter of the owner of the hotel where he had stayed! Jacques and Liliane married in 1978, and Jacques left Beaune for Avignon, Liliane taking over the family hotel.
Creation of the Jacques Dunay wine house
Jacques Dunay quickly sets up his own trading company, "Vins Jacques Dunay", modelled on the Burgundy houses he had known. He settled in Caumont-sur-Durance, a peaceful little town south of Avignon. Here, he built a modern winery and cellar, where he produces small "cuvées" from various villages in the southern Rhône valley, including Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Lirac and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Based on parcel selection. This Burgundian approach was highly unusual at the time, but he managed to find excellent suppliers among local winegrowers.
DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESSION
From a commercial point of view, Jacques realized that export markets represented a great opportunity for his company and decided to focus on neighboring European countries such as the UK, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. He also forged strong relationships with a number of French distributors, developed sales to local supermarket chains and managed to secure a few national listings.
At the age of 63, Jacques Dunay decided to pass on the business. His first son is a doctor based in Marseille, and his second works in finance in London. Mr. Jean-Pierre Nié, President and founder of Compagnie des Vins d'Autrefois, a Burgundy wine merchant based in Beaune, is an old friend of Jacques' and decided in 2011 to buy Maison Jacques Dunay. The aim: to develop the wine portfolio, complementing the Burgundy, Beaujolais and Languedoc wines we already have.
Since 2011, Jean-Pierre Nié and his team have continued Jacques Dunay's project, producing and marketing wines from the famous villages of the Rhône Valley, in France and around the world. Miss Marinette Garnier is the in-house oenologist, now in charge of the vinification of Jacques Dunay wines.