2014 Chablis Vaillon
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Tasting notes
From the historic heart of this Premier Cru, Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix's Vaillon is always among our favourites. The 2014 was Paul-Etienne Defaix's first vintage, and an outstanding year for white Burgundy, producing chiselled, classical wines with bright acidity. Now with some bottle age, this is revealing a richer, honeyed edge that complements the typically Chablisien nose. It's subtle, mineral and savoury, with an earthy seaspray side to it. The palate, however, is a rush of limey purity, zingy and fresh, linear and taut with flint and crisp green apple notes, and driving acidity that builds to a stony, mouthwatering finish. Another brilliant wine from this old-school Chablis estate.
About the producer
One of Chablis’s oldest estates, Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix crafts unoaked wines that are some of the region’s most distinctive, spending up to 15 years on their lees. These age-worthy styles of Chablis – pure expressions of Chardonnay on Kimmeridgian soils – are released only when mature.