Domaine Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Cote de Lechet (750ml)

Domaine Defaix cultivate 8 hectares of the Cote de Lechet Premier Cru, located on the slopes of the village Milly and on the right bank of the river Serein. They are the biggest owners of this cru.  The Côte de Léchet is 51 hectares and sits happily on the left bank by itself. Its terroir is sun-drenched, with steep slopes that reach up to 38% in some places!  The grapes ripen particularly fast and the harvest usually starts quite early. Some nice Kimmeridgian marls lie at the foot of the vines, covered with clay and “terre à lapin”, a form of limestone sand eroded by cold and frost. Because of the slope, thundershowers end up pushing some stones to the bottom of the Côte de Léchet. Despite having good drainage, this soil calls for hard work from its wine producers who regularly have to haul earth back up the hill.  When the Defaix were planting their vines, they found impressive fossils of Exogyra virgula that had been perfectly preserved.  Exogyra is an extinct genus of fossil marine oysters and is said to contribute to the minerality of the wine.