Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Jean-Paul Droin Chablis Premier Cru Montee de Tonnerre, 1983

This wine has been sitting under the cork for 34 years. When the cork broke during removal, I heard a loud pop and got a spurt of Chablis in my eyes as the bottom portion of the cork sank into the bottle. The seal was obviously pretty good, and so is the wine.

Deep yellow color, bright and beautiful. It looked much lighter through the bottle before it was opened, but the wine clearly did not collapse once it was exposed again to oxygen. Beautiful mature scents of minerals, sea salt, nuts and honey. Flinty as Chablis is supposed to be. Same on the palate. Rich and savory but very intense. Minerals coat the palate and cling. The soil on Montee de Tonnerre is Kimmeridgian, rich in limestone and clay. This whole area was once under a sea that covered Northern France. And savory sea qualities linger long in the incredibly complex after taste. I waited a long time to re-visit this wine, but I have no regrets. In its old age, it is singing a sea chanty. And I love it.

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