Tasted in Chablis with Benoit Droin, 28 January 2021.
Domaine Jean-Paul et Benoit Droin
8 Boulevard de Ferrières
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 16 78
www.jeanpaul-droin.fr
More reports for Domaine Jean-Paul et Benoit Droin
Benoit on 2019:
“2019 was another year with deficits. All went quite well except for the cold period at the start of the growth, but it was a hot vintage with fine cleanliness of grapes – not too hot as we managed to keep the freshness as the evenings and morning were quite cool so we kept the freshness in the grapes much more so compared to 2018. All has been bottled since the end of August. Under 40 hl/ha and it was a bit less than that, even, in 2020. But the fermentations were much easier than the long ones we had in 2018 – so higher alcohol but also quite impressive pHs.”
The wines…
Wines that showed so well – and a treat to finish to show how they age too!
All the wines are bottled, and not especially early or late because of the vintage. “12 months just works for me,” says Benoit. The domaine is all DIAM – practically since 2011.“.
One parcel above Les Clos on Portlandian, not much soil, mainly limestone. All tank elevage.
Some freshness and vibrance of aroma. Round, plenty of concentration, some sweetness too. Nicely mineral and mouth-watering – that’s delicious. Bravo – grapefruit finishing.
2019 Chablis
Normally, about 40 parcels assembled – About 12 hectares worth – and like the Petit Chablis, harvested by machine.
A width of beautifully pure aroma – that’s really inviting. Larger in the mouth, more open, a little extra structure that suggests patience – but not too much – this is delicious again. A super finish.
2019 Chablis 1er Vosgros
Fresh, wide, great clarity again – here with an additional floral note. More direct, growing in intensity. Super depth, the combination with the energy is delicious. Vibrantly finishing too – excellent!
Assembly of 5 terroirs from Vaillons
That’s a really perfumed nose – the depth is mineral – a beauty. More drive and mineral direction – growing in intensity. A grapefruit impression in the finishing flavour – top!
2019 Chablis 1er Montmains
More oak here – 40% vs the 25% of the Vaillons.
A deeper nose, changed by the barrel but not showing the barrel – more caramel before a slowly growing mineral. In the mouth, this is wide and fresh – very different to the nose – a good vibrant, slightly saline, impression. Finishing with a fine width.
2019 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
More fruit-forward, peach and grapefruit. Bubbling with energy, a little cushioned, not the structural, chiselled style. But an open finish – so wide and long, so delicious.
2019 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
From Vaupulent with deeper soils.
A calmer nose, of depth, slightly floral too. Extra mineral, mouth-watering, a slight cushion to the texture. Faintly grained with tannin. A bigger finish, suggesting a faint barrel – nearly gone thought. Excellent wine.
Bottled here since 2013.
That’s a beautiful nose – floral and very Preuses in style – I don’t often see the connection but withis wine, yes. Saline, very mineral. A mm of cushion but direct and complex. Perfect Chablis. Bravo!
2019 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
‘This is always a complicated wine when young but after 5 years it really seems to take off! And be happy if you can find one that’s 10-15 years old!’
An elegant width of freshness – perfumed again. Ample, mouth-filling but with beautiful, mouth-watering clarity. Round and completely delicious but my heart is with the previous wine.
2019 Chablis Vaudésir
Open and perfumed nose. Extra depth of texture, layered but with energy too – a concentrated wine but beautifully complex. That’s a wine of much delicious style and clearly the most depth of flavour of any wine so far – impressive even though slightly oaked.
2019 Chablis Valmur
More vibrant, almost structured aroma, but equally perfumed. The most concentrated – wide, really a mineral wine but with depth of texture and energy – not quite rich – but nearly. Super long.
2019 Chablis Grenouilles
From top part of Grenouilles – “It’s cold vintages bring out the sublime in this grand cru, 10, 8, 7, 14 are ‘cold’ vintages for me as they have kept the freshness and acidity.”
Super depth of aroma – that’s impressive – not the width of the last but super impressive. Textural, cushioned, layered flavour – always mineral, always very concentrated – spiced agrume soup here in the finish – a very zesty finish.
2019 Chablis Les Clos
Like the Grenouilles a narrower nose but super depth and adding higher tones – a vertical nose. Big in the mouth – that’s so mouth-watering, a certain density nore than energy for this particular wine. Very perfumed width of finishing flavour. Excellent wine.
Something(s) for the road. The rewards of patience on full display here:
Freshly mineral, a texture to the nose. Ooh – that’s direct, pure, has sucrosity too. Great finishing – that’s great already – bravo.
A baby – a reductive agrume nose here, becoming more waxy. An extra width of freshness – more again than the 17 Chablis. Slowly starting to show more mature notes in the middle. Finishing great – oh-so complex. A top wine.
Starting to show a little truffled white chocolate on the nose, fine freshness and eventually some floral style too. Energetic, direct a little tannin, here the fruit is less mature than the Vaillons in the middle but like that in the finish – another great wine – the purest of finishes!
2002 Chablis Les Clos
Still not much depth of colour – though certainly golden. Just the first impressions of more leafy development and air brings a more floral perfume. Extra impact and concentration – a slight mushroom extra but depth and muscled complexity too. Such an impressive width of flavour in the middle and also the finish of this wine. Simply excellent wine in top shape.
