(Wine Searchers) - As Georges Duboeuf steps down, son Franck warms up.
Georges Duboeuf, 85, is the biggest name in Beaujolais, but his company is starting the inevitable transition. His son Franck Duboeuf is gradually taking over. What will that mean for the near future?
Georges is slowing down but is still hale enough to attend some morning tastings. Franck doesn't want to push him out the door. But the company will be different, although it will not change its name, Franck says. And while he is more interested in biodynamic and organic agriculture than his father, he is not interested in the natural wines that have made cru Beaujolais fashionable in some corners of Paris, London and New York.
"Natural wines are quite popular in Beaujolais, but I don't think consumers are expecting from Duboeuf natural wines," Franck Duboeuf told Wine-Searcher. "I like very much natural wines when they are good. But this is definitely not the direction that we shall take."