Droin: a superb, steely set of 2023 Chablis

For Benoit Droin, the closest vintage to 2023 in his experience came early in his career. 2000 was a fine vintage. The late, great Clive Coates MW summarized 2000 Chablis 'as rich, steely and profound, requiring several years of bottle age'. The Droins have been making wine for 400 years, and they know as well as anyone that no two vintages are ever identical. (Their website documents the vintages of yesteryear in fascinating detail: the 1691 harvest took place in August, a phenomenon that would not recur for 300 years, but the following 1692 harvest took place under two feet of snow). But the sense of depth and steeliness that marked 2000 recurs in 2023.

Summer barely got going in 2023, till a late August heatwave struck. That sudden heatwave burnt away much of the malic acid in the grapes (but not the tartaric acid). Malic acid can end up defining a creamy character in the wine, so this year the wines are steely rather than creamy, echoing the 2000s - of which Benoit is very proud. 

Over 13 generations, the Droins have amassed a fabulous set of premier and grand cru holdings; under Benoit's stewardship, these are being captured in bottle better than ever. In the vineyards, he has improved pruning systems and lowered yields. In the winery, he switched all fermentation to indigenous yeasts, and he dialled back on the new oak his father had introduced. And after extensive experimentation, one of his early acts was to move to Diam closures for all cuvees, believing these offer a better guarantee of quality and longevity. /NT