Daniel-Etienne Defaix

We are fortunate to work with the exuberant Daniel-Etienne Defaix, whose family has been plying their trade in and around Chablis since the 17th century. In generations past, long aging in Chablis was more the rule than the exception, but today Danny is virtually alone in that practice. The Defaix family, one of the oldest winegrowing families in the region, owns thirty hectares of vines.

Long aging, however, is not the only way in which Defaix distinguishes himself. He relies exclusively on naturally occurring yeasts, a rare practice in Chablis, and his fermentations routinely last between three and six weeks with malolactic fermentation sometimes requiring two years to finish in his frigid cellar. He favors extraordinarily long lees contact, but employs stirringonly for the first two years, and then only seldom; this extended period of yeast autolysis guards a wine’s color and promotes a generosity of texture, according to Danny. Furthermore, it takes a significant amount of time for the lees to settle, and Defaix relies on patience rather than fining or filtration, two practices which are par for the course in the region.