Bernard Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Cote de Lechet 2022

Diam. Much like the rest of Burgundy, Chablis’ finest vineyards have, for better or worse, become synonymous with a symbolic grower. This is the case with the Côte de Léchet and Domaine Bernard Defaix. With nine hectares of vines overlooking the village of Milly, the domaine is the largest single holder within this 1er Cru, and its cellars sit at the base of the Léchet hill. Didier Defaix is, therefore, the vineyard’s emblematic vigneron—as well as the site’s only certified-organic grower.
 
Perfectly exposed to the southeast, Jasper Morris MW describes an archetypal wine from Léchet, pictured above, as “Entirely white fruited in style …not dissimilar to Beauroy, but with more intensity”, while Andrew Jefford suggested the hill gifts “some of the most 'mineral' Chablis of all”. In 2022, you get the best of all these, even if there is an extra dollop of fruit sweetness compared to a classical vintage. Taking advantage of the vineyard’s intensity and to build complexity, Didier Defaix ferments a quarter of this wine in old, neutral barrels which previously housed Defaix’s old-vine Reserve Léchet bottling. It’s a fleshy and seamless Côte de Léchet with oodles of mixed citrus, briny drive and impressive tension between waves of fruit and the vibrant, chalky freshness that this site always delivers in spades. Doggone delicious and a bargain in the scheme of things.
 
“Five star wine. Mid lemon colour, the bouquet has fineness here. Wonderful vibrations, mostly white fruit, a sensation of white pebbles in a white soil. Delicate but with a fine backbone and excellent length. Iodine finish. Not a wine to gulp but to take time over. Drink over 2027-2035.” 92-94 points Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
 
“Moderate wood is present on the vaguely exotic nose of white and yellow peach, iodine and algae nuances. There is impressive density and intensity to the utterly delicious and beautifully textured medium-bodied flavors that also exude a subtle minerality on the tangy, succulent and bone-dry finale that is like sucking on an oyster shell.” 91-93 points, Allen Meadows, Burghound