August 29, 2023 - Mmm not sure about this wine, this really feels much more in south burgundy than the north. Missing the freshness and acidity you would expect from Chablis Grand Crus (even with the Oak ageing) - is it the Vintage ?
December 17, 2022 - This bottle was a bit of a shy guy for most of consumption. Decanting helped unearth some of the succulent peach and lemon confit flavors that added depth and dimension. 2018 is certainly a bit of a rounder profile when compared to 2017 and 2019, but there is enough requisite acidity and tension here to merit its Grand Cru status. Plan on taking advantage of the DIAM closure and hold off on the next bottle until after 2026+.
May 7, 2021 - Opened for Kathy to pair with French Bread, Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon and Pate. Nose of wet slate, pear, cantaloupe, spring flowers, clove, lemon, and honey, same on the palate, medium/big body, mouth filling fruit, delicate, subtle, complex, elegant, at peak so enjoy in the next 2 years, long, flavorful finish and lovely aftertaste. Great Grand Cru Vineyard.
April 30, 2021 - 3 days in Napa: Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Maxem, The French Laundry, Christopher Tynan, Kinsman, Harlan, Vice Versa, Accendo, Fairchild, Macdonald, and a truckload of others (Napa): I’ve spat out a bunch of information on this wine already, but I continue to go back to it every time even though I know it needs time to become even more complex. Still, this is a refreshing Chablis that holds its Grand Cru density with style and purpose. 2018 as a vintage may not be as nervy and invigorating as 2017 for Chablis, but I continue to be a fan of Droin’s continued commitment to excellence. Well done. I’m a loyal fan.
April 4, 2021 - Easter Brunch 2021 (Flemings, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Lovely nose of wet slate and wet shale, spring flowers, clove, lemon, honey, and pear, same on the palate, medium/big body, paired with Flemings Crab Cakes perfectly, mouth filling fruit, delicate, subtle, complex, elegant, at peak so enjoy in the next 2 years, long, flavorful finish. This was a $74 auction bottle and worth it, looking forward, I have one more left to enjoy in the next 3 months.
January 9, 2021 - Less of the ripe peach and cantaloupe elements on the front end with this particular bottle, instead focusing on fresh and luscious lemon and yellow pear elements that make for an invitingly succulent but also keenly steadfast delivery and purposeful flavor expansion. This holds its white stone frame with mastery, harnessing the fruit and driving it nicely through the finish.
Temperature is key here, with a little cooler than cellar temperature being the sweet spot (around 50-52 degrees). As is not uncommon, too cold mutes the flavors and too warm flattens out the focus. Likely even better after 2023+. Sealed with DIAM 10; hold with confidence.
November 5, 2020 - Sort of a tough note to write from the position of two points of view: 1). Putting on my CT and connoisseur hat, for 80 and the Vaudesir GC, I think this vastly underperformed. I spent a lot of time with this and it just never delivered what one would expect for coverage and depth of a GC, served blind, I think there was a good chance that I would have guessed a village level burg ( I won’t hold anything against it for not tasting like a proto type Chablis, especially in 2018) Perhaps it was slightly corked. 2) On the flip side, this last Sunday was a wonderful day with my new wife of 2 weeks, my Seahawks took down the 49’ers, I enjoyed this with a wonderful chicken and sage pot pie cooked in a skillet with a puff pastry crust on top, life was good.
September 30, 2020 - Rich and ripe with peachy fruits and some preserved lemon. There are Chablis oyster shell things going on too. It is full and voluminous, with sweet fruit and has some fresh citrus rind action to the back-end.
June 28, 2020 - 2018 Jean-Paul & Benoit Drion Vaudesir GC, Fourchaume 1er, and Montee de Tonnerre 1er side-by-side.
Very similar to the Les Clos GC, the Vaudesir impresses with its succulent white and yellow peach, lemon tart, cantaloupe, honeyed ginger, and wet limestone flavors. Mouthwatering and splayed-out with its sexy accessibility and flamboyant delivery. Finishes with a cascade of swirling fruit washing over the back end in a plush but still keenly focused tail. The warm 2018 vintage shows in spades here.
Pithy white fruit Chablis fans need not apply here.
The Vaudesir showed its GC depth more so than the other two 1ers tasted next to it. However, the Montee de Tonnerre proved that it was especially reluctant to be left in the dust by the GC, and nearly matched the Vaudesir in its flavors and density.
94-96 points. Fun to play with now, but will likely find even better seamlessness with some short term cellaring.