Dargaud et Jaeglé ("D&J") 225 to 600 L
Crafted in France. Trusted everywhere. Did you know Dargaud et Jaeglé pioneered water-bent barrel crafting in Beaujolais as early as 1921? Over a century later, their barrels remain true to tradition, respected for meticulous construction and precise oak expression. D&J French oak barrels are carefully matched instruments that complement your unique wines.
Some coopers offer only forest designations, regardless of how climate change may be affecting forest terroir. Others offer grain profiles or some scientific projection of how much tannin is in a stave. As the old saying goes, "you can get four forests from one tree." Somehow, those cooperages still don't match the consistency of D&J and Vallaurine. Consistency matters when you have enough variables year after year. It's best to know what to expect from your barrels.
D&J uses time-tested relationships to source wood from renowned forests, strictly culls it to find the staves that typify each forest, and offers forests, house selections and blends of forests to duplicate exactly the result you expect from that barrel, year after year.
- Crafted in South Burgundy, France
- Wood selected and culled before aging
- Origin-specific wood and house blends
- Water bent, wet toasted for deep, slow toast
- Built by artisans to engineered standards
- Emphasizes fruit, respects structure
- Elevated, elongated finish
- 57 to 600L sizes
D&J barrels are available exclusively in the Eastern U.S. through ENOTOOLS. Let's find the perfect barrel for your next great wine: schedule a barrel consultation.
Vallaurine: The Fire-Bent Classic
Crafted especially for the Jaeglé family from wood aged at the Dargaud et Jaeglé wood yard in Romanèche-Thorins, France, Vallaurine is a new approach: the consistency and expertise of the Jaeglé family, producing the most delicate and respectful French barrel possible using traditional fire bending.
- Rive Droite yields complex, elegant wines with rich texture, preferred for Bordeaux-style wines worldwide.
- Rive Gauche enhances prized aromatics and delicate nuances, on a scale similar to those found in Burgundy.
The Vallaurine range includes standard sizes, casks, demi-muids, foudres and ovals.
Barrel Associates: The American Oak Collection
Barrel Associates ("BA") barrels have been made in Fresno, California since 1993 using a proprietary blend of Minnesota and Missouri wood, with strict quality controls and artisanal manufacturing. Options: water bent, fire bent, and deep toast methods for extended performance, with traditional American barrel impact or subtler, more European impressions.
BA Fire Bent American Oak Barrels are the industry standard for a traditional American barrel. Predictable, reliable, and consistent, this barrel does exactly what convention would expect when you hire it for the job.
BA Water Bent American Oak Barrels are a slightly muted version of what comes to mind with American oak. The process removes any sharp edges or extra assertiveness that you might need for a more bombastic wine. Built for a subtler oak impact, Water Bent American Oak features less lactone, spice, and smoke than a fire bent barrel would.
BA Deep Toast American Oak Barrels are the sneaky cheat. Saturated staves are altered by the deeper migration of the heat from the toasting fire, giving you the performance you would expect from European barrels, without the European price.
Introducing the Maverick: the last word in American barrels.
Imagine all that is known for excellence in barrel manufacturing available in an American Oak barrel at an American Oak price. These don't just keep up with other barrels. They stand out.
Want to see the difference in numbers? One Napa Valley Merlot was aged in nine Barrel Associates barrels, and an independent lab measured what each one put in the wine: American oak lab analysis (PDF).
Quality controls, options and the Maverick sheet are on the right.
Also in the Barrel Room
Stainless steel barrels for sterilizable, forever-lasting storage, D&J oak tanks from 10 to 60HL, and barrel rack density and floor plans for laying out your barrel room. Wondering how you should be cleaning your barrels? See barrel cleaning.