Chalking it up to experience

Droin Chablis on tasting from midday today, and an interview with Benoît

You can't accuse Benoît Droin of being some johnny-come-lately; his family have been making wine in Chablis for fourteen generations over nearly five hundred years. And why move on, when you can make wine from some of the very best sites on the slopes around the village?

Site is important in Chablis, and it is fascinating to taste across the different Droin cuvées and see how the character of the wine changes. The Montmains is less mineral, more fruit-driven, the Vaucoupin bursts with energy, the Fourchaume most exemplifies the oyster shell character Chablis is famous for, the Montée de Tonnerre takes a bit more oak than you might expect to see in Chablis. The grand crus have the depth for long ageing. The village Chablis is a cracking bet too, combining the flintiness you expect in Chablis with rich, creamy fruit. Midweek drinking should not be so good.

Benoît is a modest, reflective chap. He learned his craft at the feet of his father Jean-Paul, and benefits from the long family experience of these vineyards. It is this depth of knowledge and Benoît's ability to predict how the vineyards will perform year in, year out, that gives his domaine an unbeatable edge. It shows; in La Revue du vin de France, the definitive French wine guide, Droin is the only Chablis producer apart from Dauvissat and Raveneau to get the top three-star rating. But don't take the RVF's word for it, come and taste for yourself across the Droin range today. And click here for an interview with Benoît to see where he would most like to make wine, amongst other things. /NT

Click here to see a full list of all the wines available from Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin