We are up to half barrel-matured with Droin’s 2007 Chablis Grenouilles, as he feels the deeper soils and the fruit dominance that is inherent in this site can take more oak framing. Considerable lanolin and vanilla up front mingle with citrus oils and sea breeze. Mouth-filling and formidably concentrated, with an oily texture and its peach and cantaloupe signaling high ripeness, this nonetheless begins to dry out a bit as it traverses the palate, a feature I trace to the barrel and to slight alcoholic warmth. Does this just need time to integrate its oak? Naturally that is Droin’s view, but I shall refrain from predicting. In striking contrast with the experience of most of his colleagues, Benoit Droin’s 2007s were very slow to begin – much less complete – their malolactic transformations. Droin believes in the potential of machine harvesting in a majority of his vineyards, even in a year with hail, and the bottled results once again point up the foolishness of glib generalizations such as abound on that particular subject. That said, the potential weak spot in some of his 2007s – perhaps due to much-reduced yields, perhaps to hail per se, and a feature to which some tasters will certainly be more sensitive than others – is their tendency toward bitterness. These wines weighed-in in the low 13s natural alcohol, a bit higher than the vintage norm.Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565