Bernard Defaix - Chablis 1er Cru “Côte de Lechet” 2021

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Soil: This Premier Cru is born on 8 hectares of land, located on the slopes of the village of Milly, behind the Serein river. Vineyards planted on hills exposed to the south-east.

Vinification : soft and slow pressing to extract the must. Slow alcoholic fermentation, at controlled temperature, on the yeasts. The vinification is done entirely in stainless steel containers to preserve the freshness and typicality of the wine.

The cellar:

Bernard Defaix, with his two sons Sylvain and Didier, runs his company following the family traditions passed down by four generations of winemakers.

The Domaine extends over 25 hectares, of which 11 are Premier Cru (Côte de Lechet, Les Vaillons and Les Lys), 12 hectares of Chablis and 2 hectares of Petit Chablis.

One of the main corporate priorities is respect for the environment.
It is applied in all stages of production, what Didier calls natural philosophy, for example avoiding herbicides and implementing prevention techniques such as the use of products that do not harm auxiliary insects.
When necessary, some harmful insects are fought with the method of "sexual confusion", releasing capsules containing pheromones into the vineyards; the molecules dispersed in the air make male insects unable to find females for fertilization, and the larvae are not laid.

Defaix is ​​considered one of the best producers on the left bank of the Serein River, an area that offers splendid surprises, especially in the warmer years.
Only some Defaix wines ferment and are aged in wood (the Chablis Vieille Vigne and the Chablis premier cru Côte de Lechet Réserve).
In other cases, the barriques are used with great caution, in order to preserve as much as possible the typicality of the various appellations.
During the winemaking phase, a fundamental role is played by the refinement on the yeasts (with a permanence of 8 to 12 months) with batonnage or pumping over without contact with air, which allows for the production of rounder and more structured wines, while at the same time protecting them from oxidative tendencies.