2020 Chablis

As ever, this is the pinnacle of the Droin wines, and one of the finest grand cru cuvées in Chablis. Benoît says it will need 20 years to reach its peak. I’ll keep my drink dates a little earlier, though I’ve no doubt the wine could peak at 20 years if you have the patience. It is so tight and nervous, with power bubbling beneath the still surface. The special name of this cuvée is in celebration of Louis Droin, who bought this parcel in 1920.

Mont de Milieu, the mountain in the middle, historically marked the frontier between Burgundy and Champagne. It has a south-facing aspect - rare in Chablis - and this wine expresses the flamboyant side of Chardonnay grown in a sunny spot in a cool climate. The old vines have produced a wine bursting with apricots and peaches; it’s like the fruit has been supercharged here. On the palate there is a pronounced chalky freshness which wraps around the gourmand fruit. This is so intense, salty, tense, but fleshy.

Valmur is pressed up against Les Clos; the contour of its slope, where much faces northwest, make it slightly cooler than other parts of the grand cru. In 2020 it has made a wine of exotic, tropical intensity, with aromatic pineapple notes. These are offset by the classical oyster shell notes on the palate, and the scintillating line of acidity running through its length.

Benoît’s village Chablis is one of the best (the best?) out there. The 2020 is packed with fruit, and has an energy and persistence that propels it across the palate. Nice chalky freshness, with zingy lift and poised citrus fruit. Outstanding value.

2020 is a rare stay of execution for the Blanchots cuvée: it was all but wiped out by the frost in 2019, and in 2021 the vines have been grubbed up for replanting, so we won’t see it again for 5 to 6 years at least. Do not miss it in 2020. It is a beautifully subtle expression of the vintage; there’s lots of green apple on the nose and the palate is delicate and classy. There is no artifice here, it is purity and finesse in the glass.

Droin’s Vosgros is always one of the most striking and characterful wines at the domaine. Like Vaucopin, it is vinified and raised in stainless steel. But where the Vaucoupin is steely and straight, this has a richer volume, twinned with delicious purity. It shows lightly petrol-like notes on the nose, and has wonderful intensity on the palate, with lemon verbena and orange pith notes.

This premier cru on the right bank, i.e, the same side as the grand cru, is a masterclass in finesse over volume. It has brilliant tension and an enticing floral nose. It is vinified and aged exclusively in stainless steel, and if you’re looking for that cut-glass clarity from your Chablis, this is a great choice: flinty, taut, with citrus zing and floral lift.

Montmains is on the slope of the left bank, snuggled right up next to Vaillons, but has deeper clay soils, and typically produces a rounder wine with more weight. It’s really quite ‘bourguignon’ in style, as in, it wouldn’t be impossible to mistake it for something from the Côte d’Or if tasting blind, but that little kick of oyster shell that whips around the fruit gives it away as Chablis. Utterly charming. 30% aged in oak.

This is a blend of five terroirs across the steep Vaillons premier cru. Blending gives Benoît the chance to introduce freshness, with higher acid fruit running through the riper parcels. There is a great interplay between these two elements of freshness and ripeness in 2020. The fruit was picked early, so the warm site’s character is expressed as a perfumed, almost decadent floral character. 25% was fermented and aged in old oak, and the wine has a classical balance and huge appeal in its youth. It will age too, but that’s only if you can resist it early on, when it just looks so good.

Vaudésir sits at the top of the grand cru hill, and enjoys a steep incline, making it one of the sunnier spots in the grand cru. This 2020 has so much precision and density, with an elegant perfume giving it surprising accessibility in youth. The palate has a great texture, with stone fruit concentration laced with grilled nuts. This will drink well from early on, though its drinking window should not be underestimated.

Séchet is a lieu dit within the Vaillons premier cru, which is prized for its floral, mineral, and delicate power. These old vines had belonged to his grandmother, and are now aged between 60 and 80 years. It is tightly coiled on the nose, a little shy at first, but slowly unfurling into one of the most complex and complete wines in Samuel’s cellar.

Samuel’s Montée de Tonnerre is a blend of two parcels, one of which lies alongside that of Raveneau’s. It has a wonderfully spicy scent, reminiscent of ginger. The palate is savoury and taut, with a tingling freshness on the finish.

Vaudésir sits high up on the grand cru hill, and is a sunny site whose steep incline catched the sun’s rays. The wine is deceptively full bodied, with power and precision driving through the finish, rather than mid-palate weight. As always, this is a great wine from Samuel.

Samuel half jokes that this is ‘Petit Chablis deluxe’. It comes from a parcel just above Grand Cru Les Clos, and is a rare example of Petit Chablis grown on a high proportion of Kimmeridgian, rather than purely Portlandian, limestone. What is no joke is how delicious this is in 2020. It is focused and precise, with lemon zest and salty minerality running through it, and fabulous chalky tension.

Preuses is famous for its minerality, derived from its chalky soils. In Samuel’s hands it delivers this typicity in spades. It is tense and refined, with a razor-like edge to the acidity. Of all Samuel’s grands crus, this will open up the earliest, giving it an exceptional drinking window that should easily see you through a decade.

This comes from a blend of three parcels, which are picked and vinified separately. Samuel says these three parts contribute complexity, richness, and minerality to the blend. That’s a pretty good combination for a Chablis. It has an impressive depth of fruit with a satisfying weight. Its persistent length is clean-cut and refreshing.

This is the most prized vineyard in Chablis, and with good reason. The wine has a level of intensity and precision that is only possible with fruit of impeccable quality. It has a whisper of smoke on the nose, and the promise of complex evolution as this ages.

This comes from three parcels, which are spread across the top, middle, and bottom sections of the premier cru. It is straight and incisive, with a concentrated, saline flicker on the finish. There’s a nice balance between fruit and minerality in this premier cru.

This comes from the parcel at the bottom of the slope, by the river. Its soil always lends wines lots of saltiness and minerality, Didier says. The 2020 is incisive and tense, with a piercing saline freshness. Its texture is distinctly dry, perhaps thanks to the saltiness, and there is a green apple density to the midpalate, making it a particularly food-friendly example of Chablis.

William’s father planted some of these vines in 1948. Since then, the domaine has expanded its holdings, and it is now the largest owner of Chablis’ greatest site with over 4 hectares. Lots of their vines are at the top of the hill, in a cool site, where the best soils are found. The wine is saturated in white peach, oyster brine, fennel pollen, and limestone minerality. So complex, powerful, yet so understated in a way. This is truly grand cru in every sense.

Preuses tends to be the most mineral and chalky or the grand cru lieux-dits, and the Fèvre example is quintessential. It is tight and powerful, with wonderful depth on the nose. The palate has pronounced energy and precision, and there is a long, tingling line of mineral freshness that stretches right down the finish. An outstanding wine.

40 parcels scattered across 4 hectares go into this blend, from vines with an average age of 50 years. Much of these are grown around Chichee, near Vosgros, and give the quality you might expect in a premier cru. The result is a village Chablis of brilliant precision, with long volume and a saline, fresh finish.

40 parcels scattered across 4 hectares go into this blend, from vines with an average age of 50 years. Much of these are grown around Chichee, near Vosgros, and give the quality you might expect in a premier cru. The result is a village Chablis of brilliant precision, with long volume and a saline, fresh finish

Vaillons is a warm, sunny premier cru, and Fèvre has 3.5 hectares right in the middle of the slope. Their 55-year-old vines produce concentration and ripeness in the wine. This 2020 is bursting with white peaches and blossom on the nose, with a vibrant citrus-edged palate. It is totally delicious already, but will age brilliantly too.