2020 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis 1er Cru Montmains, Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

Located on the west bank of the Yvonne and just to the south of Vaillons, Montmains has a southeastern exposure. Considered, along with Vaillons, to be one of the top premier crus west of the river, Montmains is forward in its youth, displaying more apple than lime flavors with a distinctive nutty nuance – Benoît says it is reminiscent of hazelnuts or almonds and speculates that this is due to the finer marl soils of this hillside. Domaine Droin owns 2.15 hectares in Montmains.

Hand harvested, pneumatic pressing, 3-4 hour pre-fermentation settling, natural yeast fermentation in tank and French oak barrels.

10 months in tank (70%) and neutral French oak barrels (30%).

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Father Jean-Paul and son Benoît Droin can trace their family roots as vineyard owners back to the early 17th century. Through succeeding generations, they have acquired a little over 26 hectares of vineyards with extensive holdings in Premier and Grand Cru sites. Their best sites and oldest wines are still harvested by hand, while many of their neighbors have replaced their old vines so they could machine harvest. In 1999 Benoît began plowing his vineyard to help revitalize the soil’s microbial life and prune his vines differently to decrease yields and reduce the disease pressures in this famously inclement appellation. Harvest is conducted early – just as the grapes reach ripeness to preserve the final wines’ natural acidity. The new cellar, built on the edge of the sleepy village of Chablis in 1999, sees a mix of modern and traditional winemaking techniques where both stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels are used to make the wines. Fermentations are conducted, after a gentle pneumatic pressing, in stainless steel tanks by natural yeasts. Only small percentages of new barrels are introduced each year, and primarily for the Grand Cru wines.