There have been Droins working the Chablis scene for a long time. 14 generations over 400 years, in fact. Over that time, they have amassed a fabulous set of premier and grand cru holdings. Benoît Droin took over in 1999, and has never sat still since. In the vineyard, he improved pruning systems and reduced yields. In the winery, he switched all fermentation to indigenous yeasts, and dialled back on the new oak his father Jean-Paul had introduced. After extensive experimentation, he moved over to Diam closures for all cuvées, believing these offer a better guarantee of quality and longevity. Benoît’s tenure has been a great success - La Revue du Vin de France (the definitive French wine guide) has listed Droin next to Dauvissat and Raveneau as among the top 3 Chablis producers.
Through an impressive portfolio of crus, the Droin wines constitute a fascinating flavour map of Chablis terroir. Benoît likes to play with the balance between stainless steel and oak, according to the individual character of each cru and vintage, while the regional Chablis is raised entirely in stainless steel. By the mineral standards of Chablis these wines can often lean to the ripe, but they are invariably fabulous.
Benoît got in a wrangle with the authorities over what he had labelled as his Les Clos. The authorities maintained that one of the oldest parcels he used was actually not from grand cru Les Clos, but the neighbouring Valmur, and refused to allow him to label the wine as Les Clos. In a spirit of defiance, Benoît changed the label to Hommage à Louis, in honour of his predecessor Louis who had planted the offending parcel. After some vintages, the wrangle ended with Benoît being allowed to resume labelling as ‘Les Clos’, though he also keeps Hommage à Louis on the label. (NT 17/04/26)
