Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix, Les Lys 1er Cru 2009
The vines here are from southeast facing slopes in a section of Les Lys known as “Clos du Roi” (effectively a monopole of the Defaix estate). The Defaix domaine owns 3.5 hectares of this 5 hectare 1er Cru. The resulting wine is long-lived and displays remarkable finesse and length, a classic Chablis. One often encounters the flavors and aromas of bergamot, acacia and honey in the Les Lys alongside a compelling freshness, a wine of excellent tension. The average age of the vines is 45 years.
Daniel Defaix, the enthusiastic gourmand that he is, enjoys this wine particularly with scallops, lobster, line-caught bar and turbot.
92 Points Wine Advocate
Aromas of citrus confit, toasted nuts, beeswax, warm hay and dried fruits introduce Defaix's 2009 Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy wine that combines classically Chablisien cut with the generosity of a warm vintage and over a decade's maturation on the lees in tank.