2010 Chablis Grenouilles Grand Cru

Tasting in this cellar was easier this year than last, as the 2011 malos went quickly and the wines had been racked and assembled in tanks by the beginning of April. Benoit Droin picked early, beginning on August 31, explaining that the grapes ripened very quickly in the hot period in late August and the beginning of September. He thought the 2011s were like a blend of 2006 and 2009 at the beginning, but they're now showing more freshness and he believes they more closely resemble the 2005s than the 2009s. "The 2010s are easier to drink now than the 2009s, 2008s and 2007s," he went on. "They may be denser and fruitier than the '08s but they don't have quite the same penetrating minerality."

Benoit Droin likes the fresh, citrussy aromas of the 2010s, which he describes as "classic, rich and concentrated, like the 2000s. Their maturity did not come from the north wind late in the summer, as in 2008." The harvest was "small to normal," with the earlier-flowering parcels, including a lot of old vines, more affected by bad weather. Potential alcohols were in the 12% to 12.5% range, and the premier crus, following a bit of chaptalization, will be botlted before the 2011 harvest with 12.9% to 13.2% alcohol. Acidity levels are quite healthy here, ranging from 4.5 grams per liter to as high as 5.2. Droin told me he's now picking earlier with the objective of making fresher wines. Also recommended: 2009 Chablis (86).