2012 Chablis, Les Clos, Grand Cru, Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin, Burgundy

  • White
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Chardonnay
Ready - at best (Drink 2016 - 2031)
Allen Meadows
91-93/100
Product: 20121067039

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2012 Chablis, Les Clos, Grand Cru, Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin, Burgundy

Description

As ever, this wine is the most backward in its youth. There is a touch of wood on the nose but the fruit dominates. It is very tightly wound; a grand classic for the long term, but hard to pick out the details yet. Massive concentration, and potentially very enchanting.
Jasper Morris MW - Burgundy Wine Director

Benoît Droin is the 14th generation of the family producing wine in Chablis, looking after a 25-hectare domaine with an impressive range of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. Overall Benoît’s crop was down 15%, largely in straight Chablis after frost, and in the early ripening plots which suffered from drought. The wines are very backward this year as the prolonged cold spring inhibited the malolactic fermentation. However, it is very clear that these are wines of great concentration and real potential.

Colour White
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2012
Maturity Ready - at best (2016 - 2031)
Grape List Chardonnay
Body Full Bodied
Producer Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin

Critics reviews

Allen Meadows 91-93/100
Once again, there is enough wood to notice but not really enough to materially detract from the broad-ranging nose of white flowers, citrus zest, oyster shell and mineral reduction. There is similar richness and power to the middle weight plus flavors that possess slightly better definition if not quite the volume of the Valmur. There is good energy to the saline and relatively dry finish that avoids overt austerity. I would suggest holding this for 7 to 10 years.
Allen Meadows,

About this wine

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or. Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
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Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin

The Droins have been producing wines in Chablis for nearly 400 years (their history as vignerons goes back at least to 1620). Benoît represents the14th generation of Droins and is one of the most dynamic winemakers in the region. His father Jean-Paul put the domaine on the map but perhaps went too far down the road of new oak barrels.  The domaine owns 13 hectares of vineyards and produces 14 different wines, including Petit Chablis, Chablis, 7 Premiers Crus and 5 Grands Crus. Benoît runs a more sophisticated operation from a large modern winery almost in the shadow of the grands crus. He has revised his pruning system and significantly reduced yields. In the cellar the principal change has been away from new oak. Each wine now gets the treatment which Benoît thinks is suited to its terroir. Thus Petit Chablis, Chablis, premiers crus Vaucoupin and Côte de Lechet, and grand cru Blanchots are all fermented and matured in tank. Vaillons, Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre receive 25 per cent of barrel fermentation and maturation, 35 per cent for Vosgros and Vaudésir, 40 per cent for Montmains and Valmur, peaking at 50 per cent for Fourchaume, Grenouilles and Les Clos. However the age of the oak and the choice of tonnelier may vary according to the cuvée. The maximum new oak is ten per cent in the grands crus. Droin says "I use less new oak now than I did 10 years ago; my feeling is that you don`t make your best wines in new oak barrels." Although these are rich, full-bodied, buttery wines, they still manage to retain a steeliness, raciness and purity of fruit which are the hallmarks of classic Chablis. Jasper Morris MW
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