The percentage of barrel-maturation creeps upward as one proceeds through Droin’s line-up of premier crus, and arriving at his 2008 Chablis Valmur one has reached 40% barrels, of which a third are new. Succulent richness of ripe honeydew melon, apple, litchi, and pineapple are laced with chalk, white currant and lime, though the wine’s sense of refreshment and vivacity is dimmed slightly by a faint, detached lactic note and hint of lanolin from barrel. This finishes with seductively mouth-coating caress and impressive sheer length, and should be worth following for the better part of a decade, during which its lactic and oak components might well more fully integrate. Incidentally, the old vines that inform part of this cuvee were replanted after their 2008 harvest. ”I think 2007 displays a bit more finesse than 2008 and might have the edge in ten or fifteen years,” suggests Benoit Droin’s, but adds that he doesn’t perceive his more generous 2008s – which he compares with 2002 – as less impressive today. Nor, in the least, do I: in fact, they represent the most exciting collection I have so-far tasted here; in my opinion a significant advance on Droin’s 2007s. I hope his estimated time frame proves accurate, but this is admittedly another of those Chablis addresses where – even putting aside one’s general concerns about premature oxidation – the rise in quality and the influence of a new generation are too recent to really be able to treat results from the 1990s as predictive of today’s wines’ evolution. Droin bottled all of his 2008s already in September. Unfortunately due to a schedule change that put us both under time pressure, I was able to taste only around 70% of the entire collection.Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565
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