2012 Chablis Montmains

The 2012 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains comes from marl soils. It has a more expressive nose than the Vaillons with engaging wet limestone scents. The palate is quite spicy on the entry with a touch of black pepper lining the citrus fruit. It has good depth and tension, with a very lively, nutty finish. Excellent. Drink 2015-2021. It was a pleasure to meet Benoit Drouin at his family’s tasting room close to the center of Chablis town (the winery, located on the outskirts was built in 1999.) This might be considered the Chablis equivalent of J.L. Chave in terms of intergenerational proprietorship. “The estate has been passed from father to son over 14 generations since 1620,” Drouin informed me as we descended the stairs to the tasting room. Indeed, the family have been deeply intertwined with the history of the region, Marcel Drouin having created the Fete des Vins de Chablis in the 1950s. The domaine presently encompasses 26 hectares of vines spread over 16 appellations, which includes a parcel in Vauleront that has just been bought and will debut in 2013. Benoit explained how he has a traditional approach in the vineyard. “We have an intelligent approach in the vineyard – nothing extreme,” explained Benoit, “and 80% of our time is spent working the soil. We commenced the harvest in 2012 on 19 September and the yields came in at around 40 hectoliters per hectare.” He is not convinced by biodynamic techniques. Rather, he is focused on enhancing the life in the soil and has seen a great difference since they began ploughing the soils in 1999. One other change is the pruning. Since 2002, they have lateral vines trained either side of the trunk that he says decreases vigor and enhances aeration, thereby reducing disease. Benoit’s policy is to pick early in order to capture the acidity and he chaptalizes a little to increase alcohol. He prefers this to picking later and then potentially having to acidify. The wines are matured in stainless steel with a maximum of around 15% barrel aging, using a mixture of around 5-year-old barrels. He is positive about the 2012 vintage that he found regular across the vineyards, unlike the 2013s. Importers: European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1665; and Fields, Morris & Verdin and Domaine Direct both in the UK.

Pale yellow. Aromas of iodiney oyster shell, hazelnut, almond and wet stone; less fruity on the nose than the Vaillons. At once fat and firmly structured, with a silky richness but excellent citrussy cut to its lime and peach flavors. Finishes minerally and long, in need of a couple years of additional cellaring.

Chalky, lightly smoky, beautiful green apple and floral character. Brisk, bright and with great fruit concentration on the finish. (RH)