2023 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis

This exquisite wine enchants with a complex nose of lime peel, gooseberry and pear with hints of smoky reduction and a salty mineral edge. The wine is dense and compact, and its weight is perfectly balanced by racy acidity. The grapes are from 1.76ha in the blue clay soils of the Côte de Bréchain. They are crushed and fermented in tank and cask (25%). In the view of Benoît Droin, this is a 'super premier cru' – grand cru-adjacent, like Chambolle Amoureuses and Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques.

This charming village-level Chablis is a faithful (and delicious) reflection of the 2023 growing season in Chablis, featuring ripe aromas of white peach and nectarine, a hint of hawthorn flowers, and a suggestion of spice. The wine is a true cuvée ronde, reflecting the entire appellation, since Benoît Droin blended it from 40 parcels that total 9.33ha. The grapes are fermented on native yeasts and aged in stainless tanks to preserve the purity of the fruit. This wine will drink well on release.

The 2023 Chablis Village offers pretty orchard fruit on the nose with a touch of chalk dust. The palate is well balanced with more tension than the Petit Chablis. A touch of sour lemon and green apple on the finish. Fine.