Wine Advisor
Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin, Chablis 1er Cru Montmains 2018
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru is an ample, creamy and super-expressive wine. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers and minty notes all flesh out in a Chablis endowed with striking depth and resonance - all qualities that build into the long, beautifully persistent finish. This is one of the bigger premiers crus in the range, but it also retains terrific freshness and vibrancy.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru shows a little more definition and terroir expression compared directly with the Montée de Tonnerre. Lemon peel, touches of crushed stone and dried flowers almost reluctantly emerge with aeration. The palate is powerful and expressive, with a honeyed texture. The acidity feels a little lower than previous vintages and you would almost think there was a touch of botrytized fruit on the finish. It’s a Montmains that I would broach in its youth.
About the Producer
Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin is one of the oldest wineries in the Chablis appellation, where family members have been growing grapes for five centuries and where 14 generations have been carrying on the wine knowledge passed down from their ancestors since 1620. Château Duvain was created on 1 November 2002 and for 14 generations the family has never left the land. The vineyards of Château Duvain now cover some 25 hectares and are spread over four appellations: Petit Chablis (1.3 hectares), Chablis (9 hectares), Premier Cru (11 hectares) and Grand Cru (4.14 hectares), the result of five centuries of land acquisition and of the family's endless admiration for and adherence to the land. The wines of Château Douaian now have unparalleled elegance, finesse and power, and with a few years of ageing will reveal their unlimited potential. Benoit Droin is now the 14th generation to take over the management of Château Douaian. The young Benoit Droin took over the family winery, which had been in the family for nearly five centuries, from his father in 1999 and, full of enthusiasm and drive, gradually refined the winery and carried out a series of different experiments and changes in the pursuit of higher quality. The vineyard has been expanded to 25 hectares, thus providing a greater source of high quality grapes. While the best Chablis is usually full-bodied and creamy, his criteria is how to create a classic Chablis style that is sharp, clean, spicy and full of pure fruit and minerals.