Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis Premier Cru “Vaillons”
Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis Premier Cru “Vaillons”

Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis Premier Cru “Vaillons”

Burgundy / Chablis, France 2009 (750mL)
Regular price$65.00
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Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis Premier Cru “Vaillons”

The miracle of Daniel-Etienne Defaix’s unique “watchdog” cellar regimen is his ability to preserve a vintage’s youthful energy, texture, and vitality for an absurd amount of time—nearly 15 years in this case. This jaw-dropping Premier Cru spent 11 years in barrel and tank, followed by three more years of bottle aging. Defaix aged today’s “Vaillon” on its fine lees for upwards of two years, while using an unusual oxygen- and sulfite-free bâtonnage (lees-stirring) process that relied only on the wine’s self-produced CO2 to maintain freshness. It displays all the depth and complexity one expects from 14+ years of aging while perfectly preserving the 2009 vintage’s youthful freshness, power, and regality. Unlike so many other older white Burgundies, here there is no premature oxidation, no watery finish, and not one crack starting to show.

Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Chablis Premier Cru “Vaillons”
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France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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