Domaine Bernard Defaix is one of the most conscientious estates in Chablis, farming organically since 2009 and certified since 2012, which remains beyond rare in the appellation even today. The domaine was established in 1959 by patriarch Bernard Defaix with a modest two hectares; it has since grown to 27 hectares, half of which are Premier Cru. Bernard's sons Sylvain and Didier now run the estate alongside Didier's wife Hélène: Sylvain oversees the cellar, Didier works the vines, and Hélène manages the business with commanding efficiency. When we visit, it is most often Hélène who greets us, Didier and Sylvain frequently being out in the vineyards, windswept and ruddy-cheeked.

The domaine's cellars sit at the foot of the Côte de Léchet, the Premier Cru with which Defaix is most closely associated. Andrew Jefford has written of it as a vineyard that seems to give some of the most mineral Chablis of all, and with nine hectares of organically tended vines, Defaix is the largest holder of this cru. Herbicides and pesticides are entirely excluded, ploughing is the norm, yields are kept low, and fermentations are wild, bringing crystalline intensity and great texture to the finished wines.

This village Chablis is drawn from four parcels of mature, 30-plus-year-old vines around Milly and Poinchy on the left bank of the Serein River. It ferments spontaneously and ages on fine lees for 10 months in glass-lined tanks. Compared to the estate's Petit Chablis, the older vines translate to more character, depth and classical restraint. Purity, freshness and mineral precision: a very fine Chablis.