Domaine J-P & Benoît Droin

Benoît represents the 14th generation of Droins, whose history as vignerons goes back to at least 1620. Over the years the Droins have built up excellent holdings of both premiers and grands crus, and are making them to a very high standard. Benoît’s father Jean-Paul put the domaine on the map, but perhaps went too far down the road of new oak barrels. Benoît runs a more sophisticated operation from a large modern winery almost in the shadow of the grands crus. He has revised his pruning system and significantly reduced yields. The vineyards are now either ploughed or, if too vigorous, grassed between the rows. Benoît likes to pick relatively earlier, by machine.

In the cellar the wines are fermented with natural yeasts in a mix of tank and barrel according to the cru. Thus Petit Chablis, Chablis, premiers crus Vaucoupin and Côte de Léchet, and grand cru Blanchots are all fermented and matured in tank. Vaillons, Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre get 25 per cent barrel fermentation and maturation, 35 per cent for Vosgros and Vaudésir, 40 for Montmains and Valmur, peaking at 50 per cent for Fourchaume, Grenouilles and Les Clos. However, the age of the oak and the choice of tonnelier may vary according to the cuvée. For new oak, the maximum is ten per cent in the grands crus.

In each case, the barrel component is blended back with the tank portion in the spring after the harvest for bottling in the late summer. Every wine shows its own personality, from the chiselled minerality of Vaucoupin to the roundness of Vosgros, or the purity and elegance of Blanchots to the heavyweight Valmur. Mont de Milieu is particular exotic, Montée de Tonnerre shows a sunshine warmth, Grenouilles is the spiciest.

Some of the wines have been closed using DIAM since 2007, and all since 2011.