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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 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 as “entirely white fruited in style …not dissimilar to Beauroy, but with more intensity”, while Andrew Jefford suggests the hill gives “some of the most 'mineral' Chablis of all”. In 2023, you get the best of both worlds, alongside chiselled, chalky texture and an extra spoonful 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.