Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin : Chablis 1er cru "Montée de Tonnerre" 2022

Lovely fruit quality; weighty, ripe and powerful but balanced with citrus freshness. A little more approachable than Vaulorent for the moment. Blue and white clay adds extra depth.

The 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has quite an oaky nose, though it is proportionate to the fruit and should integrate with time. Just a little commercial, perhaps. Smells like a carpenter's workroom when I return after 10 minutes! The palate is again quite oaky. Decent depth, smooth, something a little Californian about this Chablis, and that is not exactly what I am looking for. Bottled under Diam 10. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

From an area of blue marl rich in clay, it reveals itself with a generous texture, offering a sense of softness and calm, underpinned by a subtle oyster note. A silky wine, full of nuance, yet with a beautiful backbone on the finish.

The 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is quite powerful this year, exhibiting aromas of sweet orchard fruit mingled with white flowers, toasted nuts and oyster shell, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless palate with an elegantly muscular profile.