While its 40% oak regimen is identical to that of Droin’s Valmur, his 2007 Chablis Vaudesir displays lanolin, toast, and vanilla components from oak. Musky pungency of narcissus in the nose; counterpoint of piquant nuttiness and crushed stone with honey and peaches; and a long, solid, but opaque finish could all be at home in the Cote d’Or (a resemblance I noted in 2006 also). The nose is the best part of this right now. Will the wood pull this down as it matures, or ingratiate itself? I would monitor carefully rather than making a long-term commitment. In striking contrast with the experience of most of his colleagues, Benoit Droin’s 2007s were very slow to begin – much less complete – their malolactic transformations. Droin believes in the potential of machine harvesting in a majority of his vineyards, even in a year with hail, and the bottled results once again point up the foolishness of glib generalizations such as abound on that particular subject. That said, the potential weak spot in some of his 2007s – perhaps due to much-reduced yields, perhaps to hail per se, and a feature to which some tasters will certainly be more sensitive than others – is their tendency toward bitterness. These wines weighed-in in the low 13s natural alcohol, a bit higher than the vintage norm.Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565