Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru 2011

Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru

Region: Chablis, Burgundy, France

Vintage: 2011

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Chardonnay

ABV: 13%

This wine is beautifully round and generous, with great complexity. Integrated notes of buttered brioche meld with Mirabelle plum and ripe apple on the palate.

The grapes from Vaillons, meaning 'little valley', are planted on the upper part of the south-eastern facing hill, on Kimmeridgien Marl soils that are rich in iron and layered with gravel on the surface.

Daniel-Etienne Defaix is the 14th generation of the Defaix family to run this estate, which is believed to be the oldest in Chablis and can trace its origins back to 1610. Daniel-Etienne took over from his father in 1978 and started making wine “as (his) grandfather had done”. This involved keeping the wine in tank for lengthy periods and putting it through a monthly bâtonnage, a practice he still retains. “My grandfather’s generation used to keep the wine for so long in order to protect themselves against frost, to ensure they would always have wine to sell,” he explains. This unique approach to winemaking in Chablis ensures Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix can consistently offer an excellent selection of mature Chablis.

http://www.chablisdefaix.com