Description
Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis Premier Cru “Les Lys”
Subconsciously, we’ve all been waiting for this day for three years. Granted, Defaix has kept us sufficiently sated in the meantime with delicious 2005-2007 releases, but now they’ve finally unveiled their generous, deeply layered ’09 Premier Crus.
In case you need reminding, Defaix’s 2009 “Les Lys” left his cellar this year, while everyone else was cashing in on 2020/21 releases. It’s shocking, abnormal, insane even, but ultimately a rare breath of fresh air in a Burgundian era of immediate consumption and high prices. Bottom line: Defaix is bottling some of the most cellar-worthy, fairly priced Premier Crus in all of Burgundy; he truly is one of the last guardians of unprecedented slow aging and sheer value. That’s why we’re beyond thrilled to offer today’s 2009 “Les Lys,” a supple, mineral-dense Premier Cru Chardonnay at a price virtually no other producer would ever dream of matching. It’s mature, exquisite, thought-provoking white Burgundy, to be sure!
BONUS: Want to enjoy 2009 Chablis at its highest level? Click here to secure 1-2 bottles of Defaix’s “Les Grenouilles” Grand Cru.
My own experience cellaring top Premier Cru Chablis has shown that most drink best between 5-15 years of bottle age. This is typically the point when oxygen has broken the wine down to the perfect balance between refreshing minerality and advanced aromatic complexity. This waiting game, however, can be dangerous, as one never knows if the wine has expired until the bottle is open. Fortunately, Daniel-Etienne Defaix has proven himself a master of anticipating each vintage’s eccentricities in this regard. Over the past few years, I’ve enjoyed a variety of Defaix whites from the late-1990s to today’s 2009, and almost always, spectacularly, they’ve possessed a beautiful synthesis of youth and maturity.
Even in a historically rich appellation like Chablis, Premier Cru “Les Lys” is special. The vineyard, which sits at the top of the hill of “Vaillons,” was once owned by the French monarchy (as indicated by the fleur-de-lis, or “Les Lys”). While most other parcels on this hill face south, “Les Lys” faces the opposite direction, overlooking the bewildering expanse of Chablis’ Grand Crus. This site’s unique aspect and chalky soils make for wines of remarkable delicacy and precision. The specific sub-parcel that produces today’s elegant beauty is a southeast-facing slope in a section known as “Clos du Roi,” essentially a monopole of the estate. The Defaix family owns 3.5 hectares here, as they believe this is the best soil “Les Lys” has to offer.
Defaix’s family has been producing wine in and around this region for hundreds of years, allowing them to amass an ample collection of Premier Cru vineyards which are currently farmed by hand and fertilized with natural compost and manure. Still, I’d say that the most exciting and unique aspect of this property is what happens in the cellar. Defaix’s whites ferment for 3-4 weeks using only indigenous yeasts and malolactic is always completed but never artificially rushed—sometimes it takes several months. It’s an unusually patient, hands-off process, but the excitement doesn’t end there: Defaix aged today’s 2009 for over 10 years in specially designed stainless steel tanks (to promote lees integration) before further aging in bottle. It was not fined, filtered, or cold-stabilized. Because these wines are built for aging, Defaix finishes the process with superior-quality corks purchased years in advance to ensure durable and reliably air-tight closure.
We’ve mentioned this for every Defaix offered on our site, but it’s always worth reiterating: The miracle of Daniel-Etienne Defaix’s unique cellar regimen is its ability to perfectly preserve a vintage’s youthful energy and vitality across many years of aging. So, while they bring all the depth and complexity one seeks in mature white Burgundy, there is no “trade-off” i.e. no unpleasant oxidation nor watery/linear finish. Poured into Burgundy stems at 55 degrees, this reveals soft, mellow, persistent flavors of creamy yellow apple, bruised and honeyed pear, stirred lees, oyster shell, lanolin, ripe citrus, crushed wet stone, and beeswax. The palate is intricately layered and the textures run deep and soft before culminating with mineral precision and lift on the finish. While many of Defaix’s old Premier Cru releases can continue aging effortlessly, this 2009 is raring to go now and over the next five-plus years.
