Vivian Liang | September 29, 2020
Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin
With a cool climate and unique limestone-rich soils, layered with marine fossils, Chablis presents itself as a one-of-a-kind wine region. The appellation is home to fresh, minerally driven Chardonnay that attracts devout wine lovers across the world. The finest examples show off a saline character, subtle lime fruits, along with great precision and purity. The style is so versatile that one could drink Chablis as an aperitif with canapés, or to accompany a light meal; and it's perfect with seafood!
One of my favorite and our best-selling producers from the region is Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin. The Droin family has been making Chablis for 400 years, passing down knowledge from generation to generation. The family makes village level, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru Chablis. Indigenous yeasts are used, and fermentation happens partly in stainless steel vats and partly in barrels. Droin’s Chablis are some of the most authentic, classic, and delicious in the region.
I highly recommend their village level Chablis which is a superb value: lively, pure with lovely citrus fruits balanced with a stony character. Their Premier Crus are a step up in quality, notably more intense and flintier. I am particularly impressed by Montée de Tonnerre, which is concentrated and intense with alluring roasted almond flavor. The top wines from the domaine are no doubt the Grand Crus. Les Clos offers exceptional value for the quality it presents. It is powerful, expressive, complex, and all balanced perfectly with citrus lemon fruits and an almost reductive character of crushed oyster shells. This is a wine to cellar.
The new 2018 vintage has just arrived – it is drinking perfectly now at the village level, and Premier Crus and Grand Crus have great aging potential.
I urge you to order quickly before the hard-core fans snap them up!
