{"title":"Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis","description":"\u003cp\u003eDomaine Daniel-Étienne Defaix is one of Chablis’ great old-school estates, built on more than four centuries of family winegrowing and a philosophy that has become increasingly rare: release the wines when they’re ready, not when the market demands them. Defaix gives his Chardonnay years to develop, producing deeply mineral, age-worthy Chablis rooted in the region’s fossil-rich Kimmeridgian limestone.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"2022-daniel-etienne-defaix-chablis-vieilles-vignes","title":"2022 Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis \"Vieilles Vignes\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eDaniel-Etienne Defaix's family has been making wine in and around Chablis since the 1500s, and today the estate is one of the last true holdouts against the modern rush to bottle young and sell fast. Defaix works almost exclusively with Chardonnay across roughly 70 acres of vines, subjecting every harvest to a ruthless triage that sends all but the finest fruit to the négociant market. What remains for the domaine's own label is a small, carefully chosen fraction, aged patiently in the cellar on an unusually long timeline that most Chablis producers gave up decades ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis village-level \"Vieilles Vignes\" bottling is sourced from old vines between 45 and 70 years of age, rooted in the Kimmeridgian limestone that gives Chablis its signature saline drive. After fermentation, the wine spent roughly 30 months aging on its lees in stainless steel with no oak influence, a slow, reductive process that builds density and texture while preserving the vintage's freshness. It's a wine of real concentration for a village appellation, offering a genuine, unfiltered expression of Chablis terroir at a fraction of what the Premier and Grand Cru bottlings command.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy You'll Love It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA pale gold color with green highlights signals the wine's youthful energy.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe nose carries Chablis's classic \"pierre à fusil\" gunflint character alongside citrus and orchard fruit.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe palate is richly textured and concentrated for a village Chablis, with a lively, fresh attack.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA long, mineral-driven finish lingers well past the last sip.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe extended lees aging brings real depth without a hint of oak.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA terrific everyday introduction to Defaix's uncompromising, old-school style.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow To Serve It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServe chilled at 48-50°F to keep the mineral edge and acidity in focus.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo decanting is required; the wine's extended lees aging has already given it plenty of texture.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePour into Burgundy stems to capture the wine's aromatics.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePair with seared scallops in brown butter and hazelnuts, a dish that mirrors the wine's nutty richness and bright acidity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/Daniel-Etienne_Defaix_esate_chablis.jpg?v=1788534579\" alt=\"Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"SommSelect","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47301753536566,"sku":"SOMM2608-DED22VV-750","price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/2022Daniel-EtienneDefaix_ChablisVieillesVignes.png?v=1787244014"},{"product_id":"2015-daniel-etienne-defaix-chablis-1er-cru-vaillons","title":"2015 Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis 1er Cru \"Vaillon\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eDaniel-Etienne Defaix's family has been farming in and around Chablis since the 1500s, and the domaine remains one of the last true believers in patient, slow-release winemaking. Working almost exclusively with Chardonnay across roughly 70 acres, Defaix subjects every harvest to an exacting triage, sending all but the finest lots to the négociant trade and reserving only a small fraction for the estate's own label. That fruit is then aged far longer than nearly any other producer in the appellation dares, which is why a Defaix Premier Cru so often arrives on shelves a decade or more after the vintage on the label.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \"Vaillon\" comes from a steeply sloped, 28-degree hillside within the original Vaillons parcel, planted on iron-rich clay-limestone soils with a southeast exposure that gives the wine its density and character. The vines average 45 years of age, and the wine spent roughly 18 months aging on its lees in stainless steel, with no oak influence, before further time settling in bottle. Vaillons often lacks the refined elegance of its neighboring crus, but makes up for it with generosity: it's frequently the richest, most expansive wine in the Defaix range.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy You'll Love It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA deep gold color reflects the extra decade of cellar age this wine carries.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe nose is intensely flinty, layered with lemon chiffon, dried herbs, and notes of \"soubois,\" or forest floor.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe palate is richly textured, with abundant fruit and a generous, expansive mid-palate.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStill precise and tensioned at eleven years of age, with a developing spice character.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA finish that shows no signs of fatigue: no premature oxidation, no watery fade, just quiet power.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA rare opportunity to drink a properly cellar-aged Premier Cru Chablis at its peak.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow To Serve It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServe at 50-52°F to let the wine's richness and minerality both come through.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA 15-minute decant helps the aromatics open without dulling its flinty edge.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePour into Burgundy stems to give the wine's expansive fruit and structure room to show.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePair with a pan-roasted guinea hen and wild mushroom fricassée, an earthy match for the wine's soubois character.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/Daniel-Etienne_Defaix_family.jpg?v=1788534579\" alt=\"Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"SommSelect","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47301753864246,"sku":"SOMM2608-DED15VLN-750","price":79.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/2015Daniel-EtienneDefaix_Chablis1erCruVaillons.png?v=1787244430"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/collections\/Daniel-Etienne_Defaix_esate_chablis.jpg?v=1788539293","url":"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/collections\/daniel-etienne-defaix-chablis.oembed","provider":"SommSelect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}