Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent 2023 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin | Burgundy

In the heart of the Chablis vineyards, on the very hill of the Grands Crus de Chablis, the climat de Vaulorent is the only Chablis 1er Cru planted on this emblematic hillside, in the immediate vicinity of Vaudésir and Les Clos. Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin 's Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent comes from a plot of just 0.33 hectares, planted with vines that are almost fifty years old. The shallow soils of white Kimmeridgian marl, rich in active limestone, give the Chardonnay a taut, particularly mineral expression. The grapes are harvested by hand, then gently pneumatically pressed. Fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts, in stainless steel tanks and oak barrels, followed by malolactic fermentation, which the wine estate continues to complete. Ageing then continues for 8 to 10 months, with the majority of the wine in vats and the rest in barrels.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin 's Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent is a perfect example of the natural link between the 1ers Crus and Grands Crus of the Chablis region. Its exceptional location lends the wine an intensity and uprightness that go far beyond the appellation's usual boundaries. For Jean Paul and Benoît Droin, emblematic figures of Burgundy, Vaulorent embodies an ideal of Chardonnay purity, where minerality and tension structure the wine from its youth, while offering a real capacity for evolution. The wine's fruity profile is pleasing from its youth, but we strongly recommend waiting a few years to discover it at its noblest.

On the nose, the wine reveals incisive aromas of freshly zested citrus and flint. This very mineral profile is fleshed out by notes of oyster shell and barely sketched floral touches, but it's its purity and frankness that seduce right from the start.

The palate is straightforward and chiselled, carried by long, structuring acidity that stretches the material with energy. The lemony, finely saline flavors reflect the limestone nature of the soil, while the lingering minerality and iodine accentuate the tension of the whole, with a long, lingering finish that heralds a fine evolution.