2002 Daniel-Etienne Defaix Cote de Lechet 1er Cru Chablis

Grape: Chardonnay
Chablis, France

Defaix’s family has been producing wine in and around this region since the 1500s. Defaix works almost exclusively with Chardonnay and his ample collection of Premier Cru vineyards are fertilized with natural compost and manure. The majority of his 45-year-old vines in Premier Cru “Côte de Lechet” lie in the sloping, southeast facing lieu-dit of “Clos de Moines,” but the most exciting and unique aspect of this property is what happens in the cellar.

This noise about “Côte de Lechet” being Defaix’s most complex cuvée makes sense once you pour this wine into a Burgundy stem. Aside from looking like a wine that’s 2-3x younger, it rolls out supple, seductive aromas of roasted yellow apple, yellow pear, quince paste, salt-preserved lemon, citrus blossom, beeswax, lees, churned butter, crushed stone, honeysuckle, and chalk. The palate is broad and the textures run deep with swells of acidity bolstering the churning core of youthful-tasting orchard fruits. It’s fantastic after just 15 minutes of air, but it also kept pulsing with energy well into day three of being opened—that bodes well for its potential in the cellar!