2021 Bernard Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

WINEMAKER: Sylvain & Didier Defaix
REGION: Burgundy, FR
VARIETAL: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic

Situated on the right of the Grand Crus just after Les Clos and Blanchot, he has an excellent exposure South/South-East. The soils are from the Upper Jurassic period (Kimmeridgean only for this plot). The wine is vinified on oak barrels of 1 to 5 years of age with regular "batonnage". Doing so, we move the lees and enrich the wine without letting the woody aromas get the upper hand. After 12 months of ageing, the wine is bottled with a light filtration. Round and powerful, this wine also shows flowery aromas, an great texture and a nice minerality on the finish in the mouth.

Their vineyards are some of the most flawlessly tended, and their natural approach always results in wines that remind us why Chablis can be such a great drink: all purity, freshness, texture and, in some cases, screwcap closures. In the vineyards, a totally organic approach is adopted, with the total exclusion of herbicides and pesticides, and now biodynamic trials are now underway in those vineyards closest to the Domaine. The little fertiliser used is organic compost, and ploughing has become the norm, thus avoiding compacting the soil to encourage biodiversity. Yields are kept low and fermentations wild, bringing a crystalline intensity and great texture to the finished juice.