A Chablis Terroir Masterclass Courtesy of Benoit Droin

Benoit Droin is one of Chablis' quiet magicians; a diminutive, jovial figure whose wines embody all the understated class of the village. Benoit is blessed with a huge range of Premiers and Grands Crus, and a horizontal tasting gloriously displays how he coaxes the terroir differences from each. A terroir masterclass indeed, in the form of chiselled, saline whites of varying densities and profiles depending on the location of each vineyard.

I tasted the 2024 vintage from vat with him, shortly before bottling last summer. 2024 is unequivocally a difficult vintage in the region, but Benoit achieved a degree of ripeness and complexity highly unusual for the year. In fact, the cool growing season only seemed to accentuate the terroir differences. From our inventory, try a handful of different bottlings to compare. And taste with a map of the Chablis vineyards in hand: it's an enlightening experience.