History
Vandermeulen was a Belgian wine merchant known among wine collectors for its superb merchant bottlings of top Bordeaux wine estates. Often priced considerably lower than estate bottled labels, the wines are still highly sought after at auctions, and counterfeits have been known.
The firm's reputation is based on its ability to source wines from top estates in great vintages. Examples include the '47, '50 and '52 Petrus, '47 and '52 Lafleur, and the '21 and '47 Cheval Blanc – regarded as the two greatest vintages of that property.
The business was founded in the port and seaside town of Ostend. The exact year it began trading is unclear; the first known documents come from 1907.
The name J. Vandermeulen-Decannière appears on corks and the prominent wax seal motif of the labels. Founder Jules Vandermeulen married Irma de Cannière in 1892.
The oldest known Vandermeulen release is a Château d'Yquem 1904, while bottling ended in the 1950s. To that point, estates generally sold wine in barrel to Bordeaux-based negociants or international merchants. The latter would bottle and label the wines in their own countries. Berry Brothers & Rudd of London is one of many other notable examples.
(Estate bottling became mandatory for all 1855 Cru Classé properties in 1967. By 1972, all top estates were required to do so by AOP law.)
Vandermeulen wines can seem richer, sweeter and more tannic than other examples from the same estates. After selecting barrels soon after vintage, the Vanderrmeulens often aged the wines for as much as 36 months. Male ox blood was used for fining, and a little Port was added to barrels shortly before bottling. The use of high-quality corks has helped many wines endure.
During World War II, some Vandermeulen stock, which had been hidden behind a newly constructed wall, was lost to the German army. After the conflict the number of barrels being bought from wine estates increased, and new, larger premises with a larger bottling line were required.