Martinez

9.2

Impressive Pinot Noir from a plot in the Hengst Grand Cru in Wintzenheim (Alsace appellation rules don’t permit Pinot Noir here, so it can’t be labeled as Grand Cru). Delicate, Burgundian nose, red fruit, some spices. Light, balanced, elegant, good acidity. Delicious. Positively impressed by all the wines I’ve had from this domaine. — 8 months ago

Martinez

9.0

Riesling from the Hengst grand cru in Wintzenheim, about 5 miles west of Colmar. Biodynamically farmed vineyards. Lean, precise, elegant with citrus, flowers and hints of rubber on the nose. On the palate there is some grapefruit. Powerful, dry, mineral. Nice saline aftertaste. — 3 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

@Delectable this is 2014 Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin, “Blanchot”

The nose reveals; candle wax, lemons, green apple, overripe pineapple, kiwi, lime pulp, pear, white peach, apricots, peach, topical melons, beeswax, honeysuckle, vanillin, creamy butter, fresh herbs, caramel, subtle chalkiness, sea fossils, limestone, grey volcanics, the lemon in Lemon Pledge, green grass, dry straw, glazed, brown butter, with fruit blossoms, yellow lilies, jasmine & spring flowers.

The palate is; rich, lush, round, waxy and elegantly smooth. Excellent viscosity. Glorious as it slips over the beautiful mouthfeel. Sour lemons, green apple, overripe pineapple, kiwi, lime pulp & candy, pear, white peach, apricots, peach, guava, topical melons, beeswax, candle wax, honeysuckle, vanillin, creamy butter, fresh herbs, caramel, subtle chalkiness, sea fossils, saline, limestone, grey volcanics, the lemon in Lemon Pledge, green grass, dry straw, glazed, brown butter with fruit blossoms, yellow lilies, jasmine & spring flowers. The acidity is; round, phat & lively. The finish is; polish, rich, lush, balance fruit & earth and has no hiccups. Great wire to wire.

Photos of; one of their Vineyards, Benoît Droin tasting through his wines & Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin,

Producer notes; The Droins have been producing wines in Chablis for nearly 400 years (their history as vignerons goes back at least to 1620). Benoît is the 14th generation guardian.

The Domaine has 13 hectares of vineyards and produces 14 different wines, including Petit Chablis, Chablis, 7 Premiers Crus and 5 Grand Crus. They prune specific to each vineyard. The wines are fermented differently by vineyard.

All their wines are fermented in mature oak. The Blanchots are all fermented and matured in tank. Vaillons, Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre receive 25 per cent of barrel fermentation and maturation, 35 per cent for Vosgros and Vaudésir, 40 per cent for Montmains and Valmur, peaking at 50 per cent for Fourchaume, Grenouilles and Les Clos. However the age of the oak and the choice of tonnelier may vary according to the cuvée. The maximum new oak is ten per cent in the Grand Crus. — 4 years ago

David Valenti

9.0

Amazing. At last a pinot noir Grand Cru in Alsace. — a year ago

GraceAnne Howe

8.9

Only real downside was a surprising amount of sediment — 2 years ago

DanDelectable

9.2

Slight hangover — 3 years ago

Simone Pizzi

9.3

One my favorite and most talented vignerons in La Côte. Corentin grows its vines according to biondynamic principles and for his cuvées nature the winemaking approach is particularly minimalist. The vineyards are wonderful with lots of biodiversity and facing the Mont-Blanc... The overall sensation is that of youth and of a sweet day of spring. The Gamay juice is pure with the fruit coming forward with a beautiful nose rich with red berries and some sweet spices. The taste is clean with good balance, excellent minerality and a spicy finish. Today it showed lovely paired with a wild boar sausage, spätzli, caramelized pear and strawberry and rhubarb jam. — 5 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Extremely savory. Deep red color. Intense aromas of mushroom, Forrest Floor, leather and dark red fruits. Pallet also features mushrooms along with cranberry, bramble fruit and black raspberry. Hint of tobacco on the medium finish. Firm but elegant tannins. Quite interesting. — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.4

**If interested, I’ve posted more pics of this visit and trip on my Instagram account - check me out @sips_ensemble**

We also had the pleasure to visit Champagne Paul Bara, another family-owned and -managed winery with only 8 employees! 💪 💪

It is a small but high-quality operation, producing approximately 100,000 bottles per year made exclusively from the free run juice. ✨✨✨ Thanks to the likes of @kermitlynchwine , the U.S. is a major exporting market for this wine. 🙌🙌

Paul Bara’s wines are sustainably farmed on numerous vineyard plots located throughout Bouzy, a Grand Cru village within the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne. 🏔 🏔

Bouzy is known especially for its Pinot Noir-driven Champagnes and also for its still red wines, a specialty of the region, called Coteaux Champenois. 🍇🍇

Paul Bara uses mostly stainless steel vessels for its vinification, designed to accentuate the purity of the fruit. They also use subterranean concrete vessels for the Pinot Noir used in rosé blends and for the Coteaux Champenois (still reds). 🥂

On our tour it was fascinating to see bottles being disgorged, dosaged, corked, capped, and caged on a machine in seconds — these are some of the last stages of the Méthode Champenoise. 🤓

We also learned that Paul Bara is a member of the ‘Club Trésors de Champagne’ an association of 28 vignerons formed to promote quality wine growing and winemaking practices and to highlight the beauty of terroir, demonstrating the excellence achievable outside of the major houses whose names are globally renown such as Veuve Cliquot and Moët & Chandon. 👏

Our favorite wine of the tasting was the 2010 Brut Comtesse Marie de France 🇫🇷 made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes 🍇 It had a richness and abundance of orchard fruit, including baked yellow apple, also toast, bread dough, yeast, and dried white blossom notes, still offering finesse and precision, retaining incredible vibrancy.

We are grateful for our visit to Paul Bara and we look forward to visiting again the future! 🙏❤️ — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Cristóbal Arellano Borges

9.2

Elegant wine. Violets, cherries, game meat. Chalky tannins. Not de-stemmed or oaked. Finished in concrete tanks. Simply a pure expression — 5 years ago