Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix: The Marine Soul Of Chablis

If you were to ask me what region produces the most unqiue expression of Chardonnay I would quickly answer Chablis. If you were to ask me what producer makes the most unqiue expression of Chablis the answer would come equally as fast: Daniel-Etienne Defaix.

Chablis is the northernmost enclave of arguably France’s most revered wine region Burgundy. But while it shares a grape variety with the Côte d’Or further south, stylistically they are worlds apart. With cooler temperatures and its famous kimmeridgian clay, formed from prehistoric ocean floors, its wines are typified by a steely austerity in sharp contrast to the decadence found to the south. Like the rest of Burgundy Chablis is classified by its varied terroirs: Petit Chablis is sourced from the vineyards furthest from its heartlands and is the latest addition to the region. Generic or village-level Chablis are from the vineyards closer in, clustered around the single-vineyard 1er Crus and Grand Crus at the appéllation’s core. These are the most prized and longest lived of its feted whites.

Domaine Defaix owns around 28 hectares of those rarefied sites: two village-level whites, Vielles Vignes and Vieilles et Très Vieilles Vignes (old-vine and very old-vine), three 1er Crus (Les Lys, Vaillon and Côte de Léchet) and a single Grand Cru, Blanchot et Grenouilles.

So far nothing that out of the ordinary. It is not until you start to look beyond the label the unique nature of these wines start to reveal themselves. Daniel comes from a long line of the Chablis vignerons, the 14th generation of a domaine established in the 1610s, making it the region’s oldest. Over those centuries the nature of winemaking in the region has changed dramatically. A tradition of his grandfather’s time was to age the new wines on their fine lees, the sediment of the yeasts left over after fermentation, for an extended period. Parcels from a healthy, bountiful crop were aged even longer, to future proof against poorer years, when Chablis’ northerly aspect might bite back in the form of bud and berry killing frosts. Even if they lost the crop they would still have something to sell.

It was in the Chablis boom of the 1970s when the region exploded in popularity that commercial pressures led to this practise being largely abandoned, as hungry markets demanded quicker and larger supplies. Daniel’s father followed suit; a fast élevageand shorter lees ageing to allow a quick turnaround from harvest to market. Daniel inherited the estate in 1978 and comparing his father’s wines to those of his grandfather perceived that the easy commercial success of the new style came at the expense of the complexity and longevity of the old.  He found the extended maturation gifted the wines incredible distinction and depth, and that only time can truly reveal the chiseled, marine-soul of the Chablis region.

These days all such commercial considerations are abandoned. If you want to sample a new vintage of Defaix Chablis you simply are going to have to wait. After harvest grapes are softly pressed over the course of three hours, and only the tetes de cuvées or first-run juices are used. The wine slowly ferments for three weeks to a month using only indigenous yeasts and at a low temperature of 18 degrees Celsius; the malolactic fermentation is always completed but never artificially rushed and can take as long as two years. The wines are racked on lees in stainless steel tanks for at least 18 months undergoing a type of bâtonnage without exposure to air and without the addition of sulfur, instead using the carbon dioxide created by the fermentation to prevent oxidisation and preserve the freshness of the wine. The stirring (bâtonnage) enables autolyse; where the dead yeast cells break down and enrich the wine, lending it ‘gras’ or textural intensity (literally translating as fat) and a floral aromatic persistence. There is no fining or filtering of the wine, or ‘passage à froid’ to eliminate tartrates, instead élévage over two winters in a cold cellar does that naturally. 

Then, depending on the cuvée, it is left to age on those fine lees for several more years. This is where the true alchemy happens. It is important to make the distinction that this is not oxidative ageing, like say a barrel-aged Rioja, or the ageing that occurs in bottle. The tanks are air-tight and the lees act as a preservative. An exquivalent method is that of the great Prestige Cuvées of Champagne like Dom Perignon, and when the wine is finally bottled it is as fresh as a daisy but with incredible complexity, aromatic intensity and textural finesse. The concentration of these wines is staggering, the mouthfeel otherworldly, they truly have to be tasted to be believed.

Domaine Defaix’s vineyard sites

The village-level wines usually get around 2 years of ageing, while the 1er and Grand Cru will get from 6 to as long as 12 years. You might baulk at a 2010 Chablis, assuming it will be past its best, but with Defaix that Chablis will have only been bottled in 2022. This is unique and masterful winemaking that makes some of the most profund white wine you are likely to taste.

Defaix Chablis is fairly easily found here in the uk but if you need help sourcing them please do get in touch. Expect wines with pungent yet elegant aromas of exotic flowers, blood orange, citrus oil and baking spices. The palates are rich but incredibly fresh with that typical oyster-shell minerality and vibrant acidity that shoots the wine through with a shimmering tension. Lemon oil, fresh peach, a hint of marmalade and honeycomb are kissed with a twist of spice and white flower that segue into gorgeous saline finishes. Match with lobster, pan-fried scallops, roasted poultry and creamy fish dishes. Once purchased you can cellar with confidence for several more years and expect to pay around £25 a bottle for the village-levels, £40-£50 for the 1er Crus and significantly more for the Grand Cru.

written by James Cole