2013 Chablis Les Lys
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Tasting notes
Daniel-Etienne Defaix holds back his Chablis, only releasing the wines when mature – and the latest releases, including this gorgeous Premier Cru Les Lys, are as impressive as ever. Les Lys is almost always our favourite from Defaix – a cooler, northeast-facing site within the larger Vaillons Premier Cru. The 2013 is vividly bright, lemon curd mingling with a creamy richness, honeycomb and an almost lanolin note on the nose. The palate is full of bite, with crunchy green apple, softer greengage and something reminiscent of green mango. It’s long and taut, with an iodine edge to the steely acidity that drives the palate, rounded out with a pleasingly fat texture, before the acid reverberates on the sea-spray, mouthwatering finish.
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.