Domaine Bernard Defaix Chablis 1er Cru ‘Montée de Tonnerre’ 2022

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Unlike Côte de Léchet, Defaix’s Monty is made from purchased fruit. Didier Defaix tells us he has worked with the same grower for 20 years. Although the vineyards are not organically certified, the family “works like us” (that is to say, he’s very happy with the quality). The Montée de Tonnerre is drawn from old vines in Chapelot, which forms 20 hectares of the vineyard on a similar southeast-facing aspect to the neighbouring Grands Crus. The vineyard’s iconic grower is, of course, Raveneau, although Moreau-Naudet, Billaud-Simon and others farm vines in this prestigious lieu-dit. This cuvée ferments with native yeasts entirely in used barrels (one to five years old) with regular bâtonnage. The wine is bottled after 12 months. From the outstanding, balanced 2022 vintage, it’s a textbook Monty with striking minerality enhanced by succulent yellow fruits, flowers and confit citrus, with all the saturated flavours pulled into the long, crushed-oyster-shell finish. Another damn-fine-value white Burgundy.

About Bernard Defaix

Always searching for better ways of doing things, for ways to improve despite their solid base. Fourth generation Defaix, brothers Didier and Sylvain, have managed their vineyards organically and sustainably for many years and are remain one of the few certified growers in Chablis (certified in 2012). The wines are pure, fresh and mineral, and the forward-thinking pair also bottle most of their wines under screwcap.

Domaine Bernard Defaix produce some wonderful Chablis, all at remarkably good prices—the rare confluence of very high quality and low prices. The Estate owns 27 ha of vineyards in Chablis, of which half are Premier Cru—the Domaine is the largest holder of the famed Côte de Lechet. Since 2002, Didier’s wife, Hélène Jaeger-Defaix, has brought her own family holdings to the partnership and these southern Burgundies are also made with the same respect from their organically tended plots throughout Rully, through to the cellar in Chablis.

In the Vineyard

Vineyard practices are organic and biodynamic. Seeking constant improvement, Defaix continues work replanting exhausted vines, managing vine disease and frost, and working to understand the soils and ecosystem.

In the Winery

Things are pretty simple. Wild ferments in a combination of tank and barrel depending on the vineyard with lees stirring to add body and complexity as necessary.

The 2022 Vintage at Bernard Defaix

From Burghound:

Didier Defaix enthusiastically described 2022 as a “great vintage that gave us both excellent quantities and quality, which is a rare combination. The season was hot and dry with a relatively short vegetative cycle as we began picking on the 1st of September. The fruit was spotless, which meant there was very little sorting necessary. Yields were average plus, but nowhere near those of 2018 for example. Potential alcohols were perfect at between 12.5 and 13% with good but not high acidities. Now that we have moved to a full 18 months of élevage for most of our wines, I really like how they seem to be improving from month-to-month. The wines have excellent concentration and perfect balance, which should enable them to be approachable young but have no trouble aging. They remind me quite a bit of a combination of 2021 and 2020, with the classicism and transparency of the former allied with the richness and seductive textures of the latter.” Defaix is quite rightly pleased with the quality of his 2022s as they are indeed lovely and worth your interest.

Where in the World is Bernard Defaix?

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