Domaine Bernard Defaix

The domaine was originally developed in Milly by Bernard Defaix from 1959, with his sons Sylvain and Didier currently in charge. Didier and his wife Hélène also run Domaine Jaeger-Defaix (formerly Domaine Niépce) in Rully.

The domaine is organic with certification since 2009, until the exceptionally difficult 2016 vintage necessitated a break. The crop is machine picked and vinified in a mix of stainless steel and barrels, which are kept for up to 10 years. New barrels (Chassin and Séguin Moreau) are primarily used for the larger cuvées where their effect will not distort the equilibrium.

There is one plot of Côte de Léchet dating back to 1955, which is vinified in oak and bottled separately as a Reserve cuvée. This is usually a brilliant wine. The range is completed with négociant bottlings of Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Chablis premier cru Fourchaume and grands crus Bougros and Vaudésir. As an interesting aside, Didier Defaix said that while they like to bottle most wines on a fruit day where possible, the old vine Reserve cuvée tends to lose freshness under those conditions, and does better on a root day.