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Droin’s Montmains site is on a gentle slope with richer, deeper, kimmeridgian marl soils. A colder site, making the wine richer and with great density on the palate. Distinctly more weight than the Vaillons, giving the blend plenty of gravitas. 8-10 months ageing on fine lees adds a creamy character with acidity less pronounced than with the Vaillons. Classy.Decanter | 92 DECAn even more floral-suffused nose speaks of the pretty essence of pear and apple while offering better overall typicity. The palate impression of the middleweight flavors is also plump, round and fleshy with its reasonably persistent, dry and balanced finale that also could use better depth. This attractive effort should be approachable young yet also reward 4 to 7 years of keeping.Burghound | 89-92 BHThe 2021 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has a classic Chablis-like bouquet with scents of shucked oyster shell and light fumé notes emerging from the glass. The palate is well balanced with a saline, lemon rind infused entry, moderate weight, perhaps not quite as precise as the Vaillons yet with satisfying persistence. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2021 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru has quite a lot of reduction on the nose compared to the Village Cru. The palate is much more expressive, very harmonious and citrus-fresh, lime and orange rind, fine weight with a very smooth and satisfying finish. Don’t miss out on this delightful Vosgros - fresh and rich, as Benoît Droin mentions.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMVosgros is sometimes described as a ’left-bank’ premier cru with ’right-bank’ exposure. It is a valley which is very cold but has a sunny westerly exposition. Closed and precise at the moment, this spend 8-10 months on lees giving the wine a creamy yet elegant texture. A very classy premier cru, this will need several years to fully blossom.Decanter | 92 DECLike the Petit Chablis, moderate amounts of classic Chablis typicity are present on the lemon rind, white orchard fruit and petrol-scented nose. There is very good volume and punch to the delicious medium-bodied flavors that possess good muscle on the clean, dry and slightly austere finale that is supported by citrus-tinged acidity.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2021 Pinot Noir La Bohème has a medium ruby-purple color and deep scents of red and black cherries, forest floor, pipe tobacco and burnt citrus peel. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly layered and nuanced, with loads of spicy accents and alluring floral perfume. It has a silky texture, energetic acidity and a very long, spicy finish. Offer it another 2-3 years in the bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

Blackcurrants and black cherries with lovely flowers on the nose. Medium-bodied with ultra fine tannins that give focus and tension to the wine. Pretty and poised. A little shy now. From organically grown grapes. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 98 JS

Ripe and complex nose with some jackfruit, hay and a hint of mineral and honey. Bone-dry on the palate with a bright streak of acidity with a medium body. Flavorful and textured and with a delicious, pithy finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS

Deeply seductive, the 2021 Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard opens with a burst of mentholated herbs, licorice and sweet autumnal spices. Juicy and broad upon entry, this envelopes the palate with ripe red and hints of blue fruit, giving way to suggestions of cola and lavender. Its mineral core comes forward through the finish, gaining tension through a blend of fine tannins and residual acids as spice and floral notes resonate throughout. The Eileen Vineyard is refined using 46% whole clusters and 34% new French oak barrels for eighteen months.Vinous Media | 96 VMA deep saturated ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard is more aromatically reserved initially but opens in the glass to emerging notes of rocky earth, ripe black and blue fruit, and wild herbs. It already displays a tension aromatically that carries over to the palate, where the wine is full-bodied, with a weightless feel, ripe, well-structured tannins, and a tension-packed, ripe core. It has a nervous energy at this stage that bodes well for significant aging potential over the next 15 to 20 years. It’s a remarkable wine that demands aging time.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDAt the top of this estate site, the Eileen Vineyard sits adjacent to Eola’s iconic Temperance Hill and stares down the barrel of the Van Duzer Corridor, where those Pacific winds take dead aim at this part of the AVA. The resulting wine is a study in Eola-Amity terroir, a combination of soil diversity and those famed winds that make this place possible. White pepper and crushed basalt aromas blend with violet florals and juicy cut blood orange. The palate is fleshy, with a core of dark fruit wrapped up in savoury elegance, white pepper, and spice from these stony hills carry the wine into its amply structured finish.Decanter | 95 DECFocused, dense, elegant and vibrant, with dominating aromas of sour cherries, cinnamon, dried herbs and mild spices. It’s medium-bodied with fresh acidity. Poised, with plenty of energy all along. Agile and succulent with some white pepper character kicking in toward the long finish. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThis is my favorite Eileen since Dexys Midnight Runners. It fills the air with pretty aromas of bright red raspberries, violets and talc. It is superbly balanced with a buoyant mouthfeel and flavors like white peaches, raspberries, black tea and wet rocks. Come on Eileen, one more sip.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEBriary and on the savory side, with a dried-spice scent and a suave, burnished cherry-wood note, this feels like it will come off lean; and yet there’s a pulpy, dark berry core of fruit that gives the wine a moment of textural richness. It finishes with a pleasing tension. There’s a lot going on here, the wine built to cellar.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 92 W&S

This ‘classique’ cuvée of Gravières is what is left after the old vines for the ‘Numerus Clausus’ bottling are removed (approximately 3.8 hectares). The remaining fruit still makes a compelling wine, with ripe red and black berry fruit aromas and hints of violets, earth, and leather. The texture is tannic but not astringent, and the tannins and fresh acidity carry this to a lovely lingering finish with great elegance and finesse. The destemmed fruit is given a cold soak and gently fermented before ageing in cask (25% new).Decanter | 92 DECThe 2021 Santenay Les Gravières 1er Cru is the main cuvée and comes from a considerable 3.8-hectare parcel. Slightly darker in colour, this has a clean and pure bouquet with dark cherries, citrus fruit - Mirabelle and Clementine, lightly spiced with just a hint of soy. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannins, harmonious and focused, easygoing in the positive sense of the word. The wood tannins will require a little time to be fully assimilated.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

The 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Champgains unwinds in the glass with notes of pear, toasted nuts, honeycomb and light reduction, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate that’s attractively textural and enveloping.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPModerate reduction once again masks everything but citrus hints. On the palate there is excellent richness and concentration to the very generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors that are at once succulent but punchy, all wrapped in a lingering, dry and balanced finale. This could also use better depth but more should reasonable develop if given a chance. I would also note that this is already sufficiently pliant that it could be approached after only 3 to 4 years if desired.Burghound | 91 BH

The 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers is pure and precise, revealing aromas of pear, crisp green apple, mint and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with racy acids and a saline finish, it will age with grace.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPA hint of reduction shaves the high notes from the otherwise pretty citrus, pear and soft floral scents. There is less volume but notably better refinement to the delicious, vibrant and well-detailed flavors that possess a suave mouthfeel while delivering fine length on the clean, bright and balanced finale that isn’t quite as complex, at least not yet.Burghound | 91 BH

Once again there is a coolness to the pure and pretty aromas of various white orchard fruit, floral and subtle lemon zest wisps. There is excellent density to the rich and powerful medium weight plus flavors that conclude in a bone-dry, youthfully austere and impressively long finish. Like several wines in the range, this will need to develop better depth to merit my rating but that should reasonably occur in time.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot reveals aromas of pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread and beeswax, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and fleshy palate that’s vibrant and layered. This year, it includes Les Fairendes, which is sometimes bottled separately.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

Unusually supple and charming for a young wine from this site, the 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeots Rouge reveals notes of plums, rose petals, smoke and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, giving and open-knit palate.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPA restrained and slightly somber nose features notes of pepper, cherry, raspberry and more prominent earth influence. The delicious medium weight flavors possess a fleshy, plump and round mouthfeel while exhibiting fine depth and persistence on the mildly rustic finish. While this well-made effort could also be enjoyed young, a few years of cellaring should be beneficial.Burghound | 90 BH

Aromas of pear, lemon zest, freshly baked bread and toasted nuts preface the 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chênes, a medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy wine built around racy acids and chalky structuring extract. Again, this is a very strong effort at the communal level that illustrates this domaine’s upward trajectory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90+ RP

The 2021 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard is a perfumed powerhouse! Opaque ruby-purple, it has a concentrated core of cassis with touches of tar, thyme, grilled meats, menthol and bitter chocolate. The full-bodied palate is ripe and concentrated with surprising freshness for its style. It has a pleasantly chalky frame and a very long finish replete with violet perfume. This hedonistic Syrah could use another 5+ years in bottle to unwind and will be long-lived in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2021 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard is one of the highlights among the 2021s I tasted from Joey Tensley. Vibrant and driving in feel, the Colson Syrah is endowed with tremendous character. Blue/purplish fruit, gravel, incense, menthol and lavender all take shape as the 2021 shows off its striking beauty. There is so much to look forward to.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMFrom a site located in the hills above Los Olivos, the 2021 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard gives up a dense purple hue as well as notes of jammy blueberries, black cherry liqueur, candied violets, and black pepper. This is a concentrated, medium to full-bodied, powerful Syrah that has terrific tannins as well as good acidity.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95+ JD

In 2021, the domaine protected this site above all from frost but still lost half their crop, despite being surrounded by the also well-protected vines of Domaine Leflaive. Accessible almost even now, the aromas of green apple and passionfruit, coconut, butter, and baking spice are almost opening even now. There is a lovely freshness and silky texture, yet this is a powerful wine with impressive length and density at the end. This should open in five years and continue to improve for at least twenty-five more.Decanter | 96 DECA gorgeously fresh, airy and cool nose combines notes of green apple, a panoply of white flowers nuances, wet stone and a pretty array of exotic spice elements, especially jasmine. There is a notably more refined mouthfeel to the tautly muscular and overtly mineral-driven medium weight plus flavors that exhibit focused power on the impressively long, balanced, youthfully austere and very classy finale. This is exceptionally stylish and a wine that should easily reward a decade plus of keeping.Burghound | 94 BH

Here too there is a touch of reduction though it’s light enough such that notes of honeysuckle and lemon-lime can be discerned. The texture of the medium-bodied flavors is again wonderfully refined while keeping the same impressive punch while displaying excellent cut on the bone-dry, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale. This is quite simply a gorgeous Pucelles and highly recommended.Burghound | 94 BHThe 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru is at once incredibly elegant but also reticent, with bright acids that are especially prominent today, perhaps because of the lighter structure of the year. The 2021 will need time to come around, but I am optimistic. Tangerine oil, marzipan and lightly honeyed notes all lend nuance through the long, sustained finish. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2021 Chardonnay One Sixteen, matured for 14 months in 34% new French oak, takes some time to shake off its youthful crème brûlée and allspice tones to reveal apricot, beeswax and honeysuckle aromas. The medium-bodied palate offers powerful fruit and oak spice and satisfying freshness to lift the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

TOP QUALITY PRODUCER Weighty, profound and rich, this is a stunning Les Clos which has an extra level of depth and richness that would please many a Côte-d’Or fan. White flowers on the nose, spice and stone fruit on the palate with 40% oak and a lingering, freshening mineral undertow. A grand cru with gravitas that will drink for 15-20 years. Droin has 1.4ha with vine age averaging 40 years. Its plots are located in various sectors of the cru with some lower down in the western sector, and part on the blue clay soils on the mid-slope.Decanter | 96 DECLike the Grenouilles, there is enough wood to merit mentioning but not enough to overshadow the cool, airy and very fresh aromas of oyster shell, white flower and ocean breeze. The succulent yet powerful and delineated flavors brim with both minerality and dry extract, all wrapped in a driving bitter lemon-inflected and youthfully austere finale. This is a lovely combination of power and refinement that should amply repay a decade plus of cellaring.Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2021 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a clean and precise bouquet, flint and chalk filtering through the citrus fruit, gaining intensity as it opens in the glass, though I feel the Grenouilles has more sophistication. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, very harmonious, nicely poised with a dab of stem ginger and white pepper towards the finish that is resolutely classic in style. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

Droin’s Fourchaume is located in the Vaupulent sector, on deep, clay-rich soils. A warmer site, this is a;ready very appealing with nice touches of baked apples and stone-fruit on the palate, with softer acidity and concentration. Although accessible early, this has the concentration to age extremely well and will deliver more saline aspects with more bottle age.Decanter | 92 DECA whiff of mineral reduction is present on the nose of pear and apple compote where there is just enough Chablis typicity to be convincing. The succulent, round and palate coating flavors possess good underlying tension while delivering solid depth and length on the delicious finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth.Burghound | 90-92 BHThe 2021 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru shows a little more reduction on the nose compared to other cuvées but a pleasant flintiness develops with time. The palate is well balanced with a cohesive entry, fine weight although it doesn’t quite deliver the same precision as the Mont de Milieu at the moment. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Droin have a sizeable 4.8ha of Vaillons, with five plots in Epinottes, Roncieres, Sechet, Chatains and Beugnons. This is always a super reliable blend as Benoit is able to draw on plots which work well in hot and cold vintages. A very fine premier cru with pronounced notes of white flowers, crisp acidity, some generous zesty citrus and a hint of stone fruit. Long and classy.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2021 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a backward nose that needs more coaxing in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite steely, lemon peel and touches of orange pith with quite a persistent finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMA lightly peppery, airy and cool nose freely offers up floral, white fruit and citrus nuances that exhibit just enough Chablis typicity to confirm where this is from. The plump, round and fleshy flavors possess a hint of natural sweetness that contrasts markedly with clean and bone-dry finish that offers good length but not quite the same complexity.Burghound | 89-92 BH

Droin owns 0.33ha in the renowned premier cru of Vaulorent. Benoît notes the higher incidence of limestone in the soils, giving more a more aromatic profile, great length and purity. Although the Droin premiers crus are all lovely wines, this is a distinct step up – a premier cru Chablis which would grace any table along with the world’s finest wines. Filigree, precise acidity on the palate – delicate, very refined, yet a wine which will last a very long time.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has a more complex bouquet that matches the Mont de Milieu, real mineralité, struck flint scents blossoming in the glass. The palate is very cohesive with lemon and touches of apricot, spicy and very persistent on the finish. This is an excellent Chablis from Droin.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMSmoky white orchard fruit aromas enjoy added breadth in the form of acacia blossom, citrus rind and quinine. The exceptionally rich and solidly voluminous medium-bodied flavors display focused power and a subtle minerality on the clean, dry and more complex finale where a touch of wood appears. I very much like the persistence, and this should amply repay 6 to 10 years of keeping.Burghound | 91-93 BH

The very young white 2021 Blanco de Sierra de Toloño is mostly Viura with some Calagraño and Rojal that is pure, fresh and straightforward, with a floral touch and a tasty finish from what Sandra Bravo described as "the finest vintage of my life." The grapes ripened late, at the same time as the old-vine Tempranillo. It has 12.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.23, medium-bodied, fresh, vibrant and tasty. Great value. 9,000 bottles were filled in March 2022 after resting in tank with lees.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

Peaches, apricots, lemon curd, lychees and melons on the nose. Fruity and fresh with a medium body. Some delicious tropical-fruit character with a zesty finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS

(Drink date 2022 - 2032) “The Diatom 2021 Chardonnay has inviting poached pears, quince and lemongrass aromas with touches of baker’s yeast, honeycomb and acacia. The medium-bodied palate balances generous, exotic fruits and a touch of textural grip with bright waves of acidity, finishing long and flavorful. This Chardonnay is dynamic and so delicious.”Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe Diatom 2021 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is another home run from Greg Brewer. Stunning in its depth and overall intensity, the 2021 is bright and mineral, with plenty of citrus and floral character, but also a good amount of textural depth to keep things in balance. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s layers and overall pedigree. As always, the style here favors cold fermentation, no malolactic fermentation and very short aging in steel prior to bottling. In 2021, all of the fruit is from Los Alamos. Best of all, the 2021 is a fabulous value.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGVery crisp on the nose, this bottling by Greg Brewer pops with tropical flowers and fruits of jasmine, plumeria and guava on the nose, with a crushed seashell minerality. The tropical character rides through the palate, offering more plumeria and guava flavors in a balanced approach.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

Lots of white pepper and crushed stone with some mineral undertones. Medium body. Bright acidity. Clean and crisp finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS