Chablis 2021: New Releases

This is the pinnacle of the Droin wines, and one of the finest grand cru cuvées in Chablis. The wine's special name is in celebration of Louis Droin, who bought this parcel in 1920, and was first used for the 2020 cuvée. It is tight and nervous, with power bubbling beneath the still surface.

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. A little over 25% was fermented and aged in old oak, giving a subtle smoky note to the nose with hints of lemon. This is an elegant wine with classical balance, plenty of ripe yellow citrus on the palate, a pretty floral character running in parallel and ending with a long saline, tangy finish.

Droin’s Vosgros is always one of the most striking and characterful wines at the domaine. Vinified and raised in stainless steel, this has a rich volume, coupled with delicious purity. It shows freshly cut grass and herbaceous notes on the nose, and has wonderful intensity on the palate, with green apple and pineapple notes carrying through to a long, fine finish.

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. 40% aged in oak gives exotic spice and stone fruit aromas. The palate is generous and rounded with amazing density and concentration, which is underpinned by the acid and mineral disposition of the vintage. The finish is remarkable, long, elegant, saline and packed full of juicy stone fruit. Very well judged indeed.

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. 25% aged in oak. This wine is bursting with white flowers, apricots and peaches with a lick of toast. On the palate there is a pronounced chalky freshness, which wraps around the white stone fruit. This is so intense, salty, mineral, but fleshy.

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. 40% aged in oak, this is 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. There’s a wonderful perfume of yellow and white flowers, while the palate displays an enticing white stone fruit element with a little creamy toast character from the oak and a long iodine finish.

Benoît’s village Chablis is one of the best out there. It's a blend of about 14 parcels all made in tank. The 2021 is classicly mineral, flinty and more savoury in style than in previous years. It has a tension and persistence that reverberates across the palate. Nice chalky freshness, with a long, saline finish and poised citrus fruit. Brilliant value.

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 2021 has so much precision and density, with an elegant perfume giving it surprising accessibility in youth. The palate has a great texture, an attack of pure ripe citrus fruit, simultaneously elegant and powerful. The finish is grippy, saline and very long - classic Chablis.

A fresh, chiseled Chardonnay from the master of Chablis.

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. Aged in tank, this sees no wood. It is complex on the nose with a vibrant energy and plenty of green orchard fruit. The palate is long, saline, mineral, iodine and packed full of concentrated, fresh fruit.

This comes from a blend of three parcels (including an 80 year old parcel), 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 a delicious depth of green apple and citrus fruit with a satisfying weight. Its persistent length is mineral, saline and refreshing.

Samuel’s Montée de Tonnerre is a blend of two 50-60 year old parcels, one of which lies alongside that of Raveneau’s. It has a wonderful, slightly spicy scent, similar to ginger. The palate is savoury and taut, with a tangy, saline freshness on the finish.

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 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. With only 1 barrel made in 2021, this is a wine to secure on release.

Vaudésir sits high up on the grand cru hill, and is a sunny site whose steep incline catches the sun’s rays. The wine is deceptively full bodied, with power and precision driving through the saline, mineral finish. Fantastic energy and verve. Bravo Samuel!

A marine influenced bouquet combines with touches of granite and a light smoky note (the oak came predominantly from Chassagne as well as Hermitage). The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity, focused with a touch of pear complementing the citrus fruit. The finish is long, fine and mineral.

This comes from three parcels, which are spread across the top, middle, and bottom sections of the premier cru. It has attractive floral, oyster shell and fresh pear aromas. The palate is energetic with notes of white peach. There’s a nice balance between fruit and minerality in this premier cru.

Vaulorent is technically part of Fourchaume, the largest premier cru in Chablis, and is the only premier cru to share the same slope as the grand cru. It has very chalky soil and produces a wine of power and silky tension. The 2021 is so velvety and enticing, you almost don’t feel the power of the wine underneath the texture. Concentrated peach, apricot and a wonderful fresh grapefruit pithiness transcends, with a finish that is complex, long, saline and very fine - super!

Maurice, William’s father planted some of these vines in 1948. Since then, the domaine has grown its holdings, and it is now the largest owner of Chablis’ greatest site with over 4 hectares. Many of the vines are situated at the top of the hill, in a cool site, where the best soils are found. White flower, citrus fruit and apple and pear blossom aromas combine. On the palate the wine is packed full of white peach, oyster brine, clementine and limestone minerality. Powerful and complex, yet so, so elegant. A true grand cru in every sense.

Preuses tends to be the most mineral and chalky of the grand cru lieux-dits, and the 2.5 hectare Fèvre example is quintessential. It is taut and mineral, with wonderful depth on the nose. The palate has harmonious energy and focus, and there is a long, zippy line of mineral freshness that stretches right down to the limey, persistent finish. A brilliant wine that should age notably well in bottle.

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.

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. A beguiling bouquet brings notes of honeysuckle, peach skin and candied lemon. The palate is highly concentrated with a piercing saline and lime citrus freshness. There are wonderful hints of orange pith and a touch of ginger on the spicy, vibrant finish. Fantastic.

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 2021 is bursting with white peaches, apple and pear on the nose, with a vibrant citrus-edged palate and fresh ginger spice. Wonderful acidity on the back palate leads to a long, elegant, saline finish.