Tasted in Chablis with Benoit Droin, 12 January 2023.
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 with Domaine Jean-Paul et Benoit Droin
Benoit on 2022:
“Now we can say yes to the customers!”
Benoit on 2021:
“2021 is the worst vintage that I’ve seen for volume – lower than 2003 or 2016 – but my grandparents remember sometimes less than 10 hl/ha and we had about 28 hl/ha, so… Almost the whole range was affected. The worst was the PC on the top of the hills – it was a proper winter frost – 80% losses here but in general 30-40% losses for the domaine. It took a number of weeks for the vines to regain their growth after the frost which meant we had a harvest starting 17 September – it looked like being another August harvest before the frost came – but I find this positive and more classic as the nights are a little cooler than in August.”
The wines…
A consistency – as I have learned to expect – of excellent wines at this producer.
All bottled since just before the 2021 harvest. The domaine is all DIAM – practically since 2011. Everything is bottled now – and sold!“.
2021 Petit Chablis
One parcel above Les Clos on Portlandian, not much soil, mainly limestone. All tank elevage.
A fresh attack – good density – a slight lime style to this citrus. Supple with a hint of generosity but properly saline and interesting. Direct finishing clean and super – wait 6-18 months but this will be an excellent wine.
2021 Chablis
Normally, about 40 parcels assembled – About 12 hectares worth – and like the Petit Chablis, harvested by machine.
More direct, almost textured, zesty, faintly reductive, nose. Extra width and a silkier more mineral style to the wine – intensity and salinity again but more seamless and fluid than for the PC. Simply excellent Chablis, maybe even better than that!
2021 Chablis 1er Vosgros
This nose is a hint more elegant, slightly softer citrus notes showing. Growing in intensity, becoming a sweeping, direct experience – a beam of vibrant finishing intensity hinting towards – again simply excellent, possibly even better – the step up in intensity with 1er cru so obvious.
2021 Chablis 1er Cru
Lechets and Vaucoupins blended – not oaked. 2021 Benoit and his father’s lowest volume vintage – lower than 2016 and even a little lower than 1991. Benoit has never previously blended a 1er but his father did in 1994 – a very wet vintage.
Some ripeness to this still fresh citrus – even a little floral. Broad, more structural/architectural – vibrant but a little softer in the finishing flavours – holding long – is it becoming a little boring for you if I say excellent again?
2021 Chablis 1er Vaillons
Assembly of 5 terroirs from Vaillons
Not the most forward nose but here’s a generous width of slightly riper citrus. Hmm, the structure and the more direct shape is a little stricter here – I like strict – almost a little sweet-sour moreish style to these middle and finishing flavours. Beautiful finishing clarity and modest salinity. Yes!
2021 Chablis 1er Montmains
More oak here – usually 40% vs the 25% of the Vaillons.
Fresh, faintly cushioned and floral – white flowers – there’s a great invitation here. Supple – structural but almost elastic structure here – bending over and around the palate – the volume from the oak is more visible here. Finishing modestly in intensity but not in length.
2021 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
Only south-facing for these vines.
A fleshiness of white-flesh fruit – almost like peach. A hint of oak to start but then wrapped in much more complexity – a style of complexity like Vosne – small and almost granular. Generous wine but never heavy wine. Extra width – certainly more of everything in the finish here vs what you could see in the Montmains.
Bottled here since 2013.
Extra-pure and a nice width of freshness too – that’s a beauty. Bubbling with energy, almost a little orange style to this complex agrume, saline wine – bravo – clearly great.
2021 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
Mainly blue clay visible here – it’s hard for the young vines to get established – the limestone is about 1m below…
Less width but it has beautiful clarity and perfume – more floral than citrus. Presence – generous beautifully tailored wine – more contemplative yet perfectly balanced – never heavy. Stable and persistent in the finish – super!
2021 Chablis Vaudésir
More vibrant and complex – the energy is lovely here – never overdone. Starting broad, clean and cool – so pure and then detonates with finishing intensity – the next step-up in AOC is so visible, so obvious, again. A beauty.
2021 Chablis Valmur
A bit more exotic agrumes but still a purity and salinity of aroma here. Extra breadth to this palate of flavours – complex, wonderfully defined complexity in these finishing flavours – less explosive finishing than the Vaudesir but no less finishing impact.
2021 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.”
Another nose of more forward width – very approachable indeed modestly spiced in this case. Broad yet somehow intense at the same time – it’s another wine with a bit of a sweet and sour moreish quality to the acidity here with lots of salinity – oh so faintly oaked in the finish – but it will be gone in 6 months…
2021 Hommage à Jean Louis – ‘Les Clos’
Benoit’s great-great-grandfather bought a parcel of vines as Les Clos in 1920 (before AOC) and this has always been blended with the domaine’s other parcels – eventually, the ‘Repression des Fraudes’ – part of the Douane – came calling (2013) saying that this parcel must be declared as Valmur. So, for now, Benoit makes the same blend as before but doesn’t call the wine Chablis Les Clos! ‘Everything changes, nothing changes!’ Benoit is not the only domaine with this issue at the moment – some are clearly still ignoring this ruling…
A small fumé style to this nose that reminds of the MdT 1er – but seamless in style. Not the largest scale of grand cru – but there’s an inner density to this complex flavour – the complexity actually takes away some of the absolute clarity of some of the other wines. As a young wine, I would prefer some of the others but with age, I remain open – it’s clearly excellent…
For the road, both tasted blind:
‘I thought it was just water and alcohol at the start but now it’s starting to change, to develop.’
Starting to become creamier but still with a fine, even slightly reductive aromas and minerality. Direct and mineral – ooh that’s so good – a hint strict, okay a bit more than a hint – but I love. Bravo.
2003 Petit Chablis
Broad concentrated clean ripe yellow citrus – less obviously aged than the last. Large scale – vibrant – a hint of creamy depth. 13° in this vintage – ‘actually higher than the 12.5° allowed by the rules – but when its natural it’s tolerated!’ Comfy, impressively long wine – even before you see the label.