Chablis

Benoît began harvesting on 26th September so almost everything was picked before the rain. Supply is down 30 percent because of the flowering but there was very little rot. It all passed off without problem during vinification and in the cellar.

The domaine began picking on 26th September, the first to do so in Chablis and ahead of many in the Côte d’Or. It was the right decision since with their low yields and well aerated bunches the grapes were ripe enough, harvesting conditions were good, and everything was picked before the horrible weather of 5th and 6th October. As a result these are wines of exceptional intensity and potential longevity.

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.

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.

Picking began on 20th September, earlier than many Cote d’Or estates, and most grapes were brought in quickly before the rain at the end of the week. It was necessary to sort the grapes by hand to remove botrytis from the later picked vineyards, but the resulting range is not only exceptionally powerful but also very pure. Yields are very substantially reduced here (where they are always low in any case) so prices have risen a little. Didier Séguier thinks that 2010 is a truly great Chablis vintage for the long term.

Laurent Pinson thinks 2010 will be the longest lasting in the recent succession of successful vintages in Chablis, combining the intensity of 2009 with the invigorating acidity of the previous year. Though volume is down as for everybody, prices remain stable – meaning that this excellent address offers superb value. The Premier and Grand Cru wines are a blend of barrel and stainless steel maturation, though the wood component never dominates the wine.

Taking advantage of its southerly exposure, Mont de Mileu can produce richer styles of Chablis often associated with that of Grand Cru wines. Here is an overt bouquet, expressing aromas of red apple skin, white peach & orange blossom. The palate is generously textured with a wealth of stone fruit, red apples and flicks of sweet oak. A lovely taught acidity underpins this to provide balance and retains freshness leading to a mouth-watering finish. 
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager


The Pinson family can trace their history in Chablis back to 1640, there is even a Rue Pinson in the town so named because three Pinson brothers lived in identical houses in the street.

Louis Pinson sold his first bottles in 1880 but the domaine is now in the hands of his Great Grand-Daughter alongside her Father and Uncle. Highly regarded and meticulously managed, everything is hand-harvested and the grapes are sorted both in the vineyard and at the winery. Fermentation is mostly in stainless steel using selected yeasts before being transferred to barrels to mature.

Mont de Milieu is their largest holding but they also have vines in the 1er Crus of Forêt, Fourchaume, Montmains and Vaillon as well as the Grand Cru Les Clos.

Benoît began harvesting on 26th September so almost everything was picked before the rain. Supply is down 30 percent because of the flowering but there was very little rot. It all passed off without problem during vinification and in the cellar.

Benoît began harvesting on 26th September so almost everything was picked before the rain. Supply is down 30 percent because of the flowering but there was very little rot. It all passed off without problem during vinification and in the cellar.