Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin Hommage à Louis Chablis Grand Cru 2022

Jean-Paul Benoît Droin Chablis Grand Cru "Hommage à Louis" 2022 is a prestigious white made entirely from Chardonnay in the renowned Chablis region of France. This special edition actually comes from the iconic Les Clos vineyard, but the name "Hommage à Louis" has been used because of an administrative dispute over the plot's naming, which is being resolved.

The Wine Advocate
RP 95

Reviewed by: William Kelley

With the 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Hommage à Louis, the Droins have regained the right from INAO to name Les Clos on the label, but also keep the Hommage à Louis name. Whatever it's called, the wine is lovely, opening in the glass with notes of green apple, peach and lemon intertwined with iodine and toasted nuts, followed by a full-bodied, layered, concentrated palate, deep, dense and muscular.

Benoît Droin's extremely reliable wines are among the region's most consistent and, to my palate, the combination of Diam closures and élevage using recently used and occasionally new oak (though only up to 10%) means these wines need a few years in bottle to show their best. Still, everything invariably integrates impressively, and the wines age very gracefully. Viticulture is conventional at this 26-hectare domaine, but the soils are worked mechanically and synthetic treatments are kept to a minimum. Harvesting is early and partly mechanised, followed by fermentation and élevage in stainless steel and wood, in proportions that vary by cuvée.

In 2022, Jean-Paul Benoît Droin Chablis Grand Cru “Hommage à Louis” scored 95 points from James Suckling.

The critic highlights an intense aromatic profile, with notes of candied lemon, green apple and marked saline minerality.

On the palate, he underlines its density and volume, well supported by vibrant acidity that balances the rich fruit. 

Suckling describes it as a “very serious”, structured wine with a long, persistent finish, reflecting the exceptional quality of the Les Clos vines that year.

This places it among the critic's top-rated Chablis of the 2022 vintage, reinforcing its status as a highly prestigious, collectable wine.