Winemaker Notes
When some of the plots were planted, they found impressive fossils of Exogyra virgula that had been perfectly preserved. The remarkable stony and sunny soil is captured in this powerful and complex wine. It flourishes with age and expresses mineral aromas reminiscent of gunflint. The Côte de Lechet is indeed one of the Premiers Crus of the Chablisian vineyard with the most exceptional ageing potential.
To serve with fish or poultry, with white butter or cream sauces.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
From 60 year old vines. 50% wood (as opposed to 20-25% for the other 1ers crus). Beautiful pale primrose colour. The nose is notably more muscular with a fresher style of fruit. The wood shows later on in the palate, but this will, soon integrate., some cinnamon and sandalwood. As interesting a wine as ever with a crisp stony finish despite the weight of fruit.
Range: 91-94 -
Wine Enthusiast
This freshest of the premier cru vineyards has produced a very crisp wine. Ripe yellow fruits and red apples show through spice and touches of vanilla. This wine is young and will be best from 2022.
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Decanter
Cool and crisp with plenty of acidity on show here. Lacks a little richness and concentration at the moment, I suspect this just needs a little more time in bottle to add extra complexity. A mineral, fresh and vibrant example. Given the quality of Domaine Bernard Defaix, I suspect this will warrant a higher score in the future.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The source of the most racy, light and tactile, yet uniquely complex Chardonnay, Chablis, while considered part of Burgundy, actually reaches far past the most northern stretch of the Côte d’Or proper. Its vineyards cover hillsides surrounding the small village of Chablis about 100 miles north of Dijon, making it actually closer to Champagne than to Burgundy. Champagne and Chablis have a unique soil type in common called Kimmeridgian, which isn’t found anywhere else in the world except southern England. A 180 million year-old geologic formation of decomposed clay and limestone, containing tiny fossilized oyster shells, spans from the Dorset village of Kimmeridge in southern England all the way down through Champagne, and to the soils of Chablis. This soil type produces wines full of structure, austerity, minerality, salinity and finesse.
Chablis Grands Crus vineyards are all located at ideal elevations and exposition on the acclaimed Kimmeridgian soil, an ancient clay-limestone soil that lends intensity and finesse to its wines. The vineyards outside of Grands Crus are Premiers Crus, and outlying from those is Petit Chablis. Chablis Grand Cru, as well as most Premier Cru Chablis, can age for many years.