Bernard Defaix : Chablis Grand cru "Bougros" 2024

Characteristics and tasting tips for the Chablis Grand cru "Bougros" 2024 from Bernard Defaix

Tasting

Colour

The wine shows a brilliant straw-yellow hue with green highlights characteristic of the vintage's youth.

Nose

The bouquet opens with floral notes of honeysuckle, accompanied by aromas of lemon and fresh stone fruit, then unfolds with nuances of white fruit, peach and mineral touches reminiscent of shellfish.

Palate

The attack is full and flavourful, driven by a firm acidity that structures the whole. The salinity comes through with precision, leading to a long, mineral and slightly briny finish.

Food and wine pairings

This Chablis Grand cru pairs ideally with steamed premium fish served with asparagus, such as turbot, as well as with fresh oysters, which highlight its saline character. It also works very well with fish in a richer sauce, poultry and risottos, and can be enjoyed with a soft-rind cheese such as Chaource.

Serving and cellaring

We recommend serving this wine at a temperature of around 13°C. The Chablis Grand cru "Bougros" 2024 has interesting ageing potential, with an ideal drinking window extending to around 2039.

A Chablis Grand cru true to the minerality of the Bougros lieu-dit

The estate

Founded in 1959 in Milly, in the heart of the Chablis vineyards in Burgundy, Bernard Defaix began with just two hectares of vines before gradually expanding. Today run by Didier and Adrien Defaix, the estate has built a reputation for rigour, based on long-standing organic farming and practices influenced by biodynamics, in a constant pursuit of purity and minerality.

The vineyard

The Chablis Grand cru "Bougros" comes from the lieu-dit of the same name, one of the seven grands crus of the Chablis appellation, located on the right bank of the Serein. The vines benefit from Kimmeridgian limestone soils, characteristic of the great Chablis terroirs, which give Chardonnay its mineral and saline character.

The vintage

The 2024 vintage in Chablis was marked by extreme rainfall and particularly severe downy mildew pressure, resulting in the estate's smallest harvest in thirty years. A hot, dry August nevertheless allowed the remaining grapes to reach satisfactory ripeness, while the harvest began in mid-September and spread over about two weeks.

Vinification and maturation

The Chablis Grand cru "Bougros" 2024 is fermented and aged in oak barrels, with regular lees stirring that adds richness and complexity. The coolness of the cellar allows tartrate crystals to precipitate naturally over the winter, without resorting to cold stabilisation. The wine is then bottled after a light filtration.

Grape variety

100% Chardonnay.