Description / Reviews
// 100% Old vine Chardonnay aged in oak barrels
"The grapes come from one of our oldest vineyards, planted in 1955 by Bernard Defaix and exceptionally well exposed to the sun (S-SE). Half of the wine is fermented in barrels and remains for 12 months on fine lees with regular batonnage. After tasting, this wine aged in barrels is blended with what has been aged in stainless steel. The final blend is bottled 18 months after the harvest. The Reserve conveys all of the Côte de Lechet's power. The bouquet marries floral elegance with the mineral intensity of the terroir. The palette is characterised by roundness, plenitude, richness and length." - Bernard Defaix, Winemaker
"Alongside the 1er Cru Côte de Léchet proper, Defaix also bottles this selection from a single hectare of almost 70-year-old vines on the mid-slope. The idea is to showcase the old vines’ ability to produce a more layered, hedonistic, seductive wine than the standard Côte de Léchet cuvée. Half the wine matures in tank, the other half in wood—mainly 228-litre used Burgundian pièces from Jaeger-Defaix in Rully. The wine rests for 12 months on fine lees with regular bâtonnage before being blended with the stainless-steel component. The final wine is bottled 18 months after harvest. On the palate, you immediately feel the impact of the old-vine concentration, which, combined with the lees aging, creates something altogether more saturating—more ‘Côte d’Or’ if you like—than the regular 1er Cru. Super value in today’s market." - Bibendum, Importer
"Smelling of yellow plum tart, lemon oil and toasted hazelnuts, this has a delightfully rounded, viscous texture. There is a pleasant, amaro-like bitterness on the lengthy finish. The fruit from these 50-plus-year-old vines sees 50% oak, and Didier is using more and more 500 L barrels, even on the Côte de Léchet cuvées." - 94 Points, Christy Canterbury MW, Tim Atkin Burgundy Report