Back in the early naughties, we were hoovering Chablis from the early 1970’s. When the Tsunami hit, wheelbarrows of Grand & 1er Cru’s were arriving from the auction houses at around $14 a bottle. By the time it receded, after everyone else had caught on, they were up at around $40 a bottle and still a bargain. Purity, complexity, amazing texture, lovely lines of acid were the hallmarks of these incredible wines. Testut et Fréres Grenouille featured! Such a great vineyard.
Today we offer Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin’s Chablis, in addition to a suite of Premier Cru’s and Grand Cru’s – Valmur, Vaudésir, Les Clos, and, Grenouille.
Wines will ship in January weather permitting or be held in climate-controlled storage until conditions are suitable.
We have a few bottles of 2017 available if you’d like something with an extra year of age on it!
People often cite Domaines Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat as the two greatest exponents of Chablis, however, I would like to add a third – Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin. Over the last five or six years, Benoît Droin has really ratcheted up the quality. I cannot exaggerate how often Droin’s wines end up the best of the flight during the annual “Burgfest” blind tastings. Again and again, they shine against stiff competition. It is time to accept that Droin is now one of the leading producers in Chablis. Neal Martin
The Droin family has been collecting small holdings in all the top premier and grand cru Chablis vineyards since 1620. Over the last 400 years they have played an important role in shaping Chablis’ wine production and local politics throughout their existence. Jean-Paul was one of the first to introduce oak aging to the region in the 1980s, a transformative innovation. In 1999 Benoît, Jean-Paul’s son, took over as winemaker and the domaine has since flourished. His meticulous vineyard management with severely restricted yields and careful élevage of the individual cuvees afford the attention to detail required for greatness. Benoît’s artistry in the winery and careful stewardship of their outstanding collection of small vineyards has long ago elevated the family domaine to the very top of the Chablis tree. The Droin style is one of purity and transparency, coupled with powerful concentration and deep minerality.
The 2018 Vintage at Droin
*Words from Nick Stock
…for the most part the sun registers strongly in the young 2018 wines. Many wines lower down the ladder of classification are buoyed by rich, fleshy fruit and deliver more up-front enjoyment than they would in a more classic year. Inexpensive peachy 2018 Chablis fruit bombs will be enjoyed far and wide.
The upper tiers, in particular the Premier and Grand Cru wines, are worth drinking early on, though in a few cases (often producer-driven) the wines are worth leaving alone for a decade. Time will dim the sunny sheen on these chosen few and allow site-driven character to shine through instead.
“There’s not that razor sharp Chablis acidity in 2018,” says Patrick Piuze. “But there is good definition of place. The dry conditions drove vines to drink deeper down in the soil profile.”
Piuze makes a wide array of wines that, true to his word, are driven by their location. “Overall it’s a good consumer-friendly vintage, somewhere between 2009 and 2015,” he adds. “Some old people in the region compare it to 1982. I think we will have a good surprise with the best wines in time.”
The wines worth holding onto are certainly drawn from the best sites, but producers that work with lower yields as a norm are also worth a look. Piuze notes that the vintage was analytically similar to the recent 2015 harvest, specifically in terms of pH and alcohol levels, but that there is a lot more dry extract in 2018. “I’ve never seen so many healthy grapes, and even with the large number of grapes we had, there is no weakness in the mid-palate because of the high dry extract.”
In the cellars of both Vincent Dauvissat and Raveneau, this combination of lower yields, trademark concentration and plenty of extract means the wines have great presence and texture, even if the finish lacks the acidity. They farm great parcels well and they’re at the top of the rankings in plenty of cases here. “It is a very generous and easygoing vintage,” says Isabelle Raveneau. “Not the most classic for Chablis, but it is drinking well and earlier. There’s plenty of it too, it’s the most wine we have made since 2011.”
Chablis Geology & Geography Explored
Detailed Map of Chablis
Click on any image to view full size map
About the Wines
Chablis
More than 35 plots with an important holding between Vaillons and Montmains. This has a very attractive, fresh mango and peach nose with a super fleshy, open and drinkable palate. Lower acidity, higher flavor. Drink on release.
The Premier Cru's
Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
“This blend of five different plots sees a small amount of oak – 25% in a mix of new to six-year-old barrels. Attractive white peach, lime and lemon on the nose. A supple palate, fresh and almost crunchy, and quite contained with lemons and white peaches throughout. Drink on release.”
Chablis 1er Cru Vaucopin
“No oak here, this has a gently flinty nose with some quite fleshy and deeply powerful fruit-drive on the palate. Very intense, fresh and long, peach flavor with a crisp, fresh finish. Tidy and drinkable on release.”
Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet
The first time this has been bottled separately since 2011. This has attractive limes and green mangoes with apples and pears. The palate has pithy and fresh punchiness. Good acidity. One to take up in 2018. Drink on release.
Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu
This is 20% oak-fermented and has a striking, rich peach and pear nose and palate with a layer of gently spiced pear-pastry at the finish. A riot of fruit here, in the first few years. There’s a minerally undercurrent that emerges on the finish. It is all here. Drink on release or hold.
Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
Fermented 30% in oak. This is more classic and minerally and offers a blend of lemons and yellow nectarines with a very flinty spark on the nose, too. The white peaches here are stunning, so deliciously ripe, sweet yet fresh in the mouth. Good weight and concentration in this vintage. Smooth resolve at the finish. Drink on release or hold.
Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
Fermented in just less than 40% oak. This has a very expressive, yellow-fruit nose with peaches, mangoes and apricots, as well as sweet flowers and fresh almonds. The palate has rich, round and mouth-filling, soft and supple fruit flesh. Delicious, full finish. Drink on release or hold.
“Smoky and mildly exotic aromas consist of matchstick, iodine, algae and ripe white and yellow-fleshed fruit. The mouth feel of the middle weight flavors is even finer if perhaps not quite as dense though the stony finish is notably more complex, at least at present. This is very good and worth a look.”
Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
There’s such richness from the very first impression with all manner of peaches and nectarines, as well as mangoes. Smooth, peach brulée and lemon curd. Some hazelnuts, too. The palate has a super fleshy feel, very plush, very seductive and a very long, full finish. Late, mineral stream here. Drink on release or hold. This will be best at 15+ years.
“Here too there is a discreet but still discernible dollop of wood surrounding the airy citrus, oyster shell and sea breeze-scented nose. The racy, intense and intensely mineral-driven flavors possess excellent delineation in the context of the vintage before concluding in a powerful yet refined, focused and strikingly long finish. This too is really quite impressive”
Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles
The savory, hazelnut-oak sits up atop some quite ripe yellow peaches and such smooth glossy fruit flesh on the palate. There’s a mineral undercurrent, holding the finish fresh and the toasty oak warms the very last taste. This is again the most complex young wine in the cellar from harvest 2018. From 70-year-old vines. Drink or hold.
“There is excellent size, weight and mid-palate density to the overtly powerful big-bodied flavors that culminate in a dry, saline and solidly persistent finish. As is usually the case this is caressing and seductive yet entirely serious while offering fine aging potential.”
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