Wines

From Les Lys, Montmains and Vaudevey. The grapes are farmed organically. Juice purchased at the time of pressing, so fermentation, aging and all besides vineyard work is under their watch. Fermented in barrel with native yeast. Aged for 18 months on the lees using integral fermentation (in a sealed barrel with no fining or filtration).

91 Points! The 2021 Chablis Mont de Milieu ler Cru comes from 65-year-old vines, sees no wood contact and is aged in stainless steel for 15 months. It has an attractive nose: crushed limestone commingling with sea spray and hints of praline. The palate is taut and fresh with a fine bead of acidity, much more elegant than many of its peers, with lovely white peach and nectarine notes on the finish. Recommended. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

With vintage 2022, the label name changed from L'Incontournable to Grande Chaume. This always comes from five acres in the lieu-dit of Grande Chaume bordering the 1er cru of Les Fourneaux, facing south-southwest. Roughly one-third of this is raised in one to three-year-old Burgundy barrels, the rest in steel.

From the importer: Defaix’s “Côte de Lechet” is a master class in mineral precision. This remarkably steep site (a 45% gradient) with very poor soil produces a wine that Danny describes as embodying “the real, true mineral expression of Chablis.” Freshly blasted chalk dominates the nose, with notes of lemon, honey, and fresh herbs lurking underneath; still, this is a wine of minerality first and foremost. The family owns a 3.5-hectare parcel of 45-year-old vines in this distinctive cru, most of which are planted within a parcel known as the Clos des Moines.

From the importer:

The astute reader will notice the singular “Vaillon” instead of the more commonplace “Les Vaillons” on Defaix’s label. The boundaries of this vineyard were extended in 1976 to take advantage of its popularity in the market, but the Defaix family owns a prime parcel of old vines (45 years of age) in the original cru—the Vaillon. The steep 28-degree gradient and iron-rich soils of this southeast-facing site render a wine of spicy richness, and Danny’s is a real powerhouse. Showing both remarkable concentration and excellent acidity, this wine has a luscious quality that contrasts gently with the more chiseled crus in his lineup.

The Defaix family—one of the oldest winegrowing families in the region—owns thirty hectares of vines, the vast majority of which are in premier and grand cru vineyards, but Defaix designates only his best lots each vintage as cru-level, declassifying the remainder as villages. Astonishingly, he bottles these cru-level wines only after eight to ten years of aging in tanks, therein undergoing a slow natural settling which prevents the need for filtration. 

This 2013 is the 'current' release as of 2025...

92-94 Points! The 2021 Chablis Le Bas de Chapelot comes across quite closed on the nose, though Edouard Vocoret mentioned how this cuvée has closed down at the time of my visit. The palate is complex with touches of apricot and white peach, plenty of minerals and flint, focused with a long tail on the finish. This is apparently mercurial during its barrel maturation but this bodes well. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

From a parcelof less than an acre. This Montmains comes from the Butteaux part of the appellation, right in front of the village of Courgis. The vines are old, planted in the late 1950s.

The only Premier Cru that is 'Grand Cru adjacent', sharing a border with Les Preuses. 

Romain Collet Chablis 1er Cru Montmains 2021 comes from a block just above Forêts called Perrières. Collet’s other 1er Cru wines see some wood, but not this one; it’s fermented and aged in 100% thermoregulated stainless steel tanks. Romain likes to showcase the tension of Perrières and the wizardry of its older vines (~40 years). No lees stirring. Allen Meadows had this to say about this bottling: “A much more floral nose expresses nuances of citrus confit and spice if more moderate amounts of Chablis character. There is however both better volume and refinement to the medium-bodied flavors that offer a lovely minerality on the lingering, balanced and delicious finale.”

#Romain_Collet