Beautiful Artisan Chablis Under Thirty Bucks!
Produced by brothers Sylvain and Didier Defaix, today's Chablis comes from organically farmed vineyards near the tiny village of Milly.
While quite classic in style, this steely, minerally, salty and crunchy 2023 Chablis is rather atypical in another parameter... Price!
At $26.99, this hits the sweet spot for an estate produced, organically grown Chablis. Even the notoriously hard-scoring Allen Meadows (aka Burghound) is a fan, awarding an "Outstanding Top Value" designation.
Read on for our notes on this wonderfully overdelivering Burgundy, then keep scrolling for details on the latest release of Domaine de la Mordorée's famous Tavel Rosé. As always, simply click the Big Green Button to place your order!
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2023 S. & D. Defaix “Les Hauts de Milly” Chablis
Burgundy, France
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Les Hauts de Milly is produced by artisanal Chablis house Domaine Bernard Defaix. Founded in 1959, the estate is now operated by sons Sylvain and Didier. We visited their property a few years ago, and have been big fans ever since. With this 2023 Chablis, they’ve bottled a classic!
“This is quite good and worth a look. Outstanding Top Value.”
- Burghound (10/10/2024)
The fruit that drives today's chalky-yet-soft village designated bottling comes from 35 year old vines located just across from their 1er Cru holdings in Côte de Léchet.
With mineral crunch and a zesty verve, this textbook Chablis gives nuanced flavors of juicy white peach, red and yellow apple, lemon zest, honey, white flowers and chalky earth. Lifted, nervy, rich and dense, it has a pleasing plumpness that coats the palate.
Delicious from the moment the cork is popped, this 2023 Chablis had even more length and flavorful yumminess on the third day. If desired, you could easily lay this in your cellar for several years, but why wait? Organically farmed and raised without any oak, we’re likely being stingy with our 91+ point rating. The complexity and range here is excellent!
The Defaix brothers affix two different labels to this bottling. Median retail for the standard "Bernard Defaix" label is $32. By securing the under-the-radar "Les Hauts de Milly" version, we're able to bring it to you for five bucks less!
Vin Chicago Price: 26.99
94-Point Tavel Rosé from Domaine de la Mordorée!
2024 Domaine de la Mordorée
"La Dame Rousse" Tavel Rosé
Southern Rhône Valley, France
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Three weeks ago, Rhône specialist Jeb Dunnuck published an article featuring just three wines. Each of the wine is from the Southern Rhônes famous Rosé-only region of Tavel, and all were made by Domaine de la Mordorée.
Quoting prices of $40, $52 and $95, Jeb awarded scores of 94 points to each of them. Today, we bring you the least expensive of the three. Of this wine, Jeb writes...
“Rosé doesn't get much better, and I wish I could pour this beauty for every reader interested in what Tavel offers.”
- Jeb Dunnuck, June 2025
Our supply is quite a bit more limited than we’d like, so we've not pulled a sample bottle. Instead, we rely on the soaring praise from Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Advocate:
“The 2024 Domaine De La Mordoree Tavel La Dame Rousse is the classic base Tavel and it's based on 60% Grenache, 15% each of Cinsault and Syrah, and the rest Clairette. It’s a perfect example of this incredible appellation in the south of France, just across the river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Sporting a translucent ruby hue, it has a textbook Tavel nose of wild strawberries, raspberries, minty garrigue, and white flowers. It's beautifully balanced, medium-bodied, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, and outstanding length, with a clean, crisp, dry finish. Rosé doesn't get much better, and I wish I could pour this beauty for every reader interested in what Tavel offers. Maturity: 2025 - 2026.”
- 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (6/16/2025)
“The 2024 Tavel La Dame Rousse is a striking success, offering up a vibrant, gourmand bouquet of strawberries, raspberries, red berries, spring flowers and subtle spice. Sourced from vines rooted in the estate’s three principal soil types—limestone (lauzes), sand and galets roulés—it’s medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and textural, with an enveloping core of juicy fruit and excellent depth. The finish is long, peppery and floral, with a mouthwatering sense of energy and tension that sets this vintage apart from its predecessors. Drink Date: 2025 - 2035.”
- 92 Points, Wine Advocate (6/26/2025)
We’ve worked with the wines of Domaine de la Mordorée wines for over 25 years, and have been charmed over and over and over again by their Tavel. If you drink any of your wine this year, make sure to allow an hour in a decanter. If you get a few bottles, best bet it to try one now for fun and then lay the rest down to enjoy a year or three down the road.
Jeb quotes $40. We bring it to you today for a few dollars less. We have ten cases available, and we sure wish we had more!
Vin Chicago Price: 33.99
