Defaix Chablis Premier Cru Côte de Léchet 2013
by Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix
- Grape variety
- Chardonnay
- Region
- Chablis Premier Cru AOC, Burgundy, France
- Style
- white
- Alcohol
- 13%
- Vintage
- 2013
Price: CHF 43 In stock
About this wine
Daniel-Etienne Defaix holds four hectares on the Côte de Léchet, one of Chablis' most demanding Premier Cru sites: a 38% south-east slope of pure Kimméridgian marl where the steepness concentrates everything. The 2013 was awarded Tastevinage gold at the Château de Clos de Vougeot. Then Defaix did what Defaix does — kept it. Eighteen months of monthly lees stirring, no oak, no filtration, no rush. Released in 2026. What you get from 13 years in stainless steel is not oxidation or tiredness: it is integration. The mineral precision has found its voice, the generous texture has settled, and the finish has a length that no young Chablis can deliver.
Tasting notes
Deep straw-gold with pale amber glints — 13 years of bottle age showing. The nose is complex and developed: toasted brioche, dried lemon zest, honey, and beneath it all, the chiseled chalk of Chablis that never disappears. On the palate, ample and generous with a pronounced mineral backbone and a long, tensioned finish with salinity that signals this is still going.
Aromas
toasted brioche, dried lemon zest, honey, crushed chalk, salinity, white peach, hazelnut
Critic scores
- Vivino: 4.3
Structure
body medium · tannin none · acidity very high · sweetness bone dry
Serving
Serve at 12–14°C · Drink 2026–2032
Food pairings
Roast chicken with cream and mushrooms, Baked turbot with capers, Blanquette de veau, Époisses
Best for
13 years in stainless. Worth every one.
From the winemaker
100% Chardonnay from the Côte de Léchet Premier Cru (38% SE slope, Kimméridgian marl, vines avg 39 years); natural yeast fermentation at 18°C; complete MLF; 18 months monthly bâtonnage in stainless steel. No oak. Released 13 years after harvest.
Editor's note
2013 Côte de Léchet, released in 2026. Most producers wouldn't hold a Premier Cru for 13 years. Defaix does — because this 38% south-east slope needs that time. The 2013 won Tastevinage gold at Clos de Vougeot and then sat until the wine decided it was ready. What you get now is a Premier Cru past its awkward phase: mineral precision that has found its voice, lemon rind and chalk in the finish, and a richness that young Chablis simply cannot deliver.
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