Daniel-Etienne Defaix
Domaine du Vieux Chateau Vaillon Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay
Chablis, Burgundy, France
Mature and in the zone. Umami city.
Mature and in the zone. Umami city.
Jul 23rd, 2024
Iodine, oyster shell, struck flint and golden orchard fruit, mushrooms and damp earth. Really seamless structure here, holding its weight very well
Iodine, oyster shell, struck flint and golden orchard fruit, mushrooms and damp earth. Really seamless structure here, holding its weight very well
Jan 2nd, 2023
Developed, tart but nice contrast with toffee notes. Great to see this curve.
Developed, tart but nice contrast with toffee notes. Great to see this curve.
Aug 25th, 2022
My first time trying a wine from Daniel-Etinne Defaix, a Chablis winemaker known for releasing some of his wines very late to the market (this 2006 is on release now, a full sixteen years after the vintage).
How it looks: A flash of green through the amber hue already drops this into Chablis for the blind taster.
How it smells: seduction in a glass, everything you want from Chardonnay with age. From primary to tertiary, every aroma sits in perfect balance with the others in the glass. There’s bitter lemon, burnt butter, vanilla, peach and that delightful hint of honey that Chardonnay shows with age.
How it sips: lean, intense and complex on the palate, with great tension and acidity, and a fantastic sense of water on rock. Surprisingly, this showed better on the second night - by some margin, too. It fully opened up on the palate, with tremendous width and shocking drinkability.
Ultimately, this is an incredibly pure expression of Chardonnay from the Vaillons climat without much intrusion of oak. And heck, this has acidity for days - so I’d love to try it again in ten years, for fun.
Enjoyed with lemon sole on the second night, which I must say provided great emotion.
My first time trying a wine from Daniel-Etinne Defaix, a Chablis winemaker known for releasing some of his wines very late to the market (this 2006 is on release now, a full sixteen years after the vintage).
How it looks: A flash of green through the amber hue already drops this into Chablis for the blind taster.
How it smells: seduction in a glass, everything you want from Chardonnay with age. From primary to tertiary, every aroma sits in perfect balance with the others in the glass. There’s bitter lemon, burnt butter, vanilla, peach and that delightful hint of honey that Chardonnay shows with age.
How it sips: lean, intense and complex on the palate, with great tension and acidity, and a fantastic sense of water on rock. Surprisingly, this showed better on the second night - by some margin, too. It fully opened up on the palate, with tremendous width and shocking drinkability.
Ultimately, this is an incredibly pure expression of Chardonnay from the Vaillons climat without much intrusion of oak. And heck, this has acidity for days - so I’d love to try it again in ten years, for fun.
Enjoyed with lemon sole on the second night, which I must say provided great emotion.
The ever evolving 1er Cru. Green apples, green plum, hazelnuts, high acidity, tasted just a few years old.
The ever evolving 1er Cru. Green apples, green plum, hazelnuts, high acidity, tasted just a few years old.
Dec 21st, 2018
2011 | Chardonnay
Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix; Vaillon 1er Cru
Burgundy; Chablis, France
(91-93; Drink 2024-30)
2011 | Chardonnay
Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix; Vaillon 1er Cru
Burgundy; Chablis, France
(91-93; Drink 2024-30)
2010 | Chardonnay
Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix; Vaillon 1er Cru
Burgundy; Chablis, France
(92-94; Drink 2025-33)
This bottle is crushing our prior enjoyed a few months ago...Wowzer.
2010 | Chardonnay
Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix; Vaillon 1er Cru
Burgundy; Chablis, France
(92-94; Drink 2025-33)
This bottle is crushing our prior enjoyed a few months ago...Wowzer.
2010 | Chardonnay
Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix; Vaillon 1er Cru
Burgundy; Chablis, France
(90-92; Drink 2025-33)
On the Lawn at Tanglewood this evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading John WILLIAMS (Violin Concerto No. 2, written specifically for the intended soloist this evening) featuring the violin virtuoso, Anne-Sophie Mutter, STRAUSS (Death and Transfiguration, Opus 24) and then RAVEL (La Valse).
2010 | Chardonnay
Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix; Vaillon 1er Cru
Burgundy; Chablis, France
(90-92; Drink 2025-33)
On the Lawn at Tanglewood this evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading John WILLIAMS (Violin Concerto No. 2, written specifically for the intended soloist this evening) featuring the violin virtuoso, Anne-Sophie Mutter, STRAUSS (Death and Transfiguration, Opus 24) and then RAVEL (La Valse).
Slightly amber in color and some oxidative notes. Apple juice and stone. Interesting. Lacks a bit in structure
Slightly amber in color and some oxidative notes. Apple juice and stone. Interesting. Lacks a bit in structure
1 person found it helpfulFeb 5th, 2023