Chablis

As an aperitif, it will go very well with "gougère" cheesepuff pastries or cold meats. As a starter, it will be perfect with a fish terrine or seafood.

The wines of this Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin are relatively new to a South African audience, yet their reputation elsewhere in the world of wine is positively stellar. They are one of the eldest names in Chablis, cultivating vines for approaching 400 years, whilst Benoît Droin represents the thirteenth generation. “Benoît Droin has really taken his domaine to new heights over the last decade... The bottom line is that his wines do the business, triumphing at various Burgfest blind tastings with such regularity that attendees almost laugh at the predictable outcome.” Neal Martin, Vinous Benoît Droin has achieved much of this sterling reputation in the face of a string of warm vintages in Burgundy over the last decade, a threat to the distinctive and steely Chardonnay’s for which the Chablis region is famed. He’s achieved this through attentive farming, picking early for tension, whilst favouring shorter elevage for fruit purity, and reducing the use of new oak and resulting weight favoured by his father. All these practices contribute to ensuring the Chablis here remains classical, brilliant and built around highlighting that fabled French concept of terroir.

Generally shallow soils. The sub-soil alternates between grey marl and bands of limestone sometimes very rich in "exogyra virgula" fossils - small, comma-shaped oysters characteristic of the marls from the Upper and Middle Kimmeridgian periods. Balanced approach pest control. Soils maintained via regular ploughing.

Pneumatic pressing. Natural enzymatic settling for 12 to 24 hours at around 15°C then fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats. Systematic malolactic fermentation followed by assemblage after 8 to 10 months. Fining if necessary, light filtration and bottling.