Badet Clément goes back to its roots with Delaunay rebrand
Historic French company Badet Clément will once again be known by its Delaunay name, after a ‘lucky twist’ enabled the family to buy back the name which was lost three decades ago.
The family owned company has a long history in France, with its origins dating back to 1893 in Burgundy when the company was known as Edouard Delaunay, after its founder. In 1993, the family was forced to sell this part of the business following Laurent Delaunay’s father’s illness. Laurent and his wife Catherine then moved to the Languedoc in 1995 and built a company from scratch under the Badet Clément name, which initially created branded and estate wines just from the Languedoc.
Now, oenologists Laurent (Edouard’s great grandson) and Catherine Delaunay have announced they will be rebranding as Delaunay Vins & Domaines.
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The changes were announced at an event in Paris, where the pair also announced that their daughter Jeanne, the sixth generation of Delaunay winemakers, will be working alongside them as the company’s third family winemaker. She will head up their premium Languedoc brand, Abbotts & Delaunay and represent the start of a ‘new era and a new vision’ for the family business.
“In Delaunay Vins & Domaines we at last have a name which not only coherently reflects the image of all our brands, our wines and our domaines, but also legitimately combines our joint and quite rare identity as both Languedociens and Burgundians, which is very important to us,” Laurent Delaunay said.
“With the arrival into the business of our daughter Jeanne, we have not only renamed but also restructured the company to focus on our three core brands: Les Jamelles and Abbotts & Delaunay from the Languedoc and Edouard Delaunay in Burgundy, with each one now headed up by a family winemaker member, Catherine, Jeanne and myself respectively.”
“It feels like the circle is now finally complete and as our Badet Clément chapter closes, our Delaunay Vins & Domaines story beings. We have once again become a proud family wine business.”
As the new face of Abbotts & Delaunay, Jeanne Delaunay will be heavily involved not only in the vinification of the wines, but also in the brand’s strategic approach and marketing. She brings valuable hands-on wine-making experience to the table, including stints at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma, plus Thibault Liger-Belair and Romanée Conti, closer to home in Burgundy.
She will also be working on Delaunay Vins & Domaines’ CSR policy, which has been at the heart of the company for the past ten years.
Jeanne said: “I’m very excited to be joining Delaunay Vins & Domaines and equally very aware of the responsibility involved in heading up such a successful brand as Abbotts & Delaunay.
“My main objectives for the brand are to continue to evolve the style of these haut-couture wines made on exceptional Languedoc terroirs, but in a Burgundy way.”
In the four decades since its creation, Delaunay Vins & Domaines now has a turnover of €64million, selling 15 million bottles and exporting to more than 55 countries.
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