2011 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis 1er Cru "Montmain" (Pre-Arrival)
SKU #1114685
90-92
points
Allen Meadows - Burghound
(from Montmains proper; 40% 2 and 3 year old oak). A cool, pure and airy nose combines notes of white flower, pear and mineral reduction. There is a lovely mouth feel to the equally refined and seductively textured mineral-inflected flavors that possess slightly less complexity but more finesse on the lingering finish. Like the Vaillons, this should drink well almost as soon as it’s bottled as there is plenty of mid-palate fat.
(9/ 2012)
90-92
points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Minerality takes a backseat in the 2011 Chablis Montmains, but that also makes it more approachable young than some of the other wines in the lineup. Citrus, mint and slate are layered into the soft, enveloping finish. Ultimately, the Montmains is about expression of fruit above all else. The Montmains saw about 30% of oak. Anticipated maturity: 2013. Once again, my tasting with Benoit Droin was one of the highlights of my trip to Chablis.Vintage 2011 was characterized by an early, easy and even flowering, which resulted in a generous crop... Droin doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention in the press, but in my opinion, this is one of the very finest producers in Chablis. I have also had great luck with older bottles, as these are typically wines that age beautifully.
(8/ 2012)
88-90
points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Pale, bright yellow-green. Ripe white peach on the pure, fresh nose; less toasty and spicy than in some recent vintages. Juicy, dry and discreet on the palate, with a youthful bitterness to the citrus peel and grapefruit flavors complicated by lichee. Finishes with a slightly sour quality; a bit austere today. Droin's Montmains is usually more generous and Cote d'Or-like at this early stage. This began in 35% oak, with the barrels somewhat younger than those used for the Vaillons.
(7/ 2012)
K&L Notes
Since the year 1620, fourteen generations of the Droin family have passed their winemaking tradition on to the next. Since 1999, all vinification has taken place at a modern wine facility built below the Grand Cru vineyards in Chablis, where they hold more than 4 hectares of vines. Grape clusers are handled very gently before pressing and the wine is matured in vats and neutral oak before bottling almost exactly one year after harvest.
