Defaix Bourgogne Rouge 2022
by Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix
- Grape variety
- Pinot Noir
- Region
- Bourgogne Rouge AOC, Burgundy, France
- Style
- red
- Alcohol
- 12.7%
- Vintage
- 2022
Price: CHF 33 In stock
About this wine
Pinot Noir from Chablis. Nearly impossible, probably unique: Daniel-Etienne Defaix is the 14th generation to farm the Domaine du Vieux Château, and the Pinot Noir his ancestors planted in 1900 are still producing on calcareous and iron-rich soils. Chablis is Chardonnay country — the appellation demands it — so this wine carries the Bourgogne Rouge label. But the soils are Chablis soils, and the result is a red unlike other Bourgogne Rouge: the limestone and iron give a tartness and a mineral edge that push against the very ripe small-berry fruit. Light, precise, food-driven.
Tasting notes
Clear ruby with violet highlights — lighter in colour than most Pinot Noir at this level. The nose is direct: sour cherry, raspberry, and a chalk-earth note that no other Bourgogne Rouge delivers. On the palate, acidic and lithe with very ripe red fruit, a hint of iron, and a clean mineral finish. Light body, low tannin. Serve slightly cool.
Aromas
sour cherry, raspberry, chalk, iron minerality, red currant, dried herbs
Critic scores
- Vivino: 4.0
Structure
body light-medium · tannin low · acidity high · sweetness dry
Serving
Serve at 15–17°C · Drink 2025–2030
Food pairings
Œufs en meurette, Bœuf bourguignon, Duck breast with cherry reduction, Époisses
Best for
Pinot Noir from Chablis — which technically shouldn't exist, but does.
From the winemaker
100% Pinot Noir from vines planted 1900 on calcareous and ferruginous soils in Chablis; natural yeast fermentation; complete malolactic fermentation; 12 months monthly bâtonnage in stainless steel. Labelled Bourgogne Rouge — the Chablis AOC only permits white wine.
Editor's note
Defaix grows Pinot Noir on vines planted in 1900 — original rootstocks, never replaced. Producing a red wine in Chablis is almost unheard of; Daniel-Etienne says this may be the only one of its kind. The limestone and iron soils give a tartness that pushes against the very ripe red fruit, producing something that doesn't resemble other Bourgogne Rouge. A conversation piece that delivers beyond the conversation.
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