Wine Advisor
Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin, Chablis Grand Cru Hommage a Louis 2021
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Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
As readers will remember, the 2021 Chablis Grand Cru Hommage à Louis is a result of a dispute with the INAO—who contended that part of the Droin family's historic parcel of Les Clos, named as such on the cadastre and always labeled accordingly, is in fact Valmur—and while that dispute is close to resolution, the "Hommage" label will endure, at least through the 2021 vintage. Revealing aromas of Myer lemon, pear, white flowers and almond paste, it's full-bodied, satiny and layered, with a concentrated core of sweet fruit, lively acids and a long, chalky finish. It's a terrific effort in a challenging vintage.
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.
