SOLD OUT! The 2017 Domaine Jaeger-Defaix Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux is one of the top White Burgundy values I’ve tasted this year. We featured a different Premier Cru from this producer earlier this summer, and it sold out in matter of days. I suspect the same will happen with this one.
Possessing much of the style and nuance of a Puligny-Montrachet at half the price, this comes from the “lower rent” village of Rully, the top village in the Côte Chalonnaise. The vineyards here are only minutes south of Beaune, and they share a similar aspect and soil type with their more famous neighbors to the north. In recent years, the reputation of wines from the best producers of the region have blossomed, thanks to the commitment of growers like Hélène Defaix.
2017 Domaine Jaeger-Defaix Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux
91 points Burghound, 91 points Wine Advocate
SOLD OUT
Husband and wife Didier and Hélène Defaix run one of the finest estates in Rully. All of the Jaeger-Defaix vineyards are Premier Cru and brilliantly situated, and all the vineyards are managed organically. The connection to the land, the vineyards, and the grapes is strong here, dating back to the 16th century. In fact, Hélène’s great-grandfather Henri Niepice was instrumental in elevating Rully’s AOC status in the 1930’s.
The estate’s Les Cloux bottling is absolutely stunning in the highly regarded 2017 vintage. This site sits near the top of a slope, where all of Rully’s most esteemed vineyards are located. The soil here is rich with clay and rocky limestone, and these old, well-drained Chardonnay vines provide the “stuff” of a great wine. Barrel fermented and aged for 18 months, the resulting wine is structured, layered, and powerful.
Both the Wine Advocate and Allen Meadows of Burghound had nothing but great things to say about this wine. My favorite Burgundy critic Allen Meadows called this wine “lovely” and said it possessed “notes of pineapple, white flower, pear and a whiff of orange marmalade.” He went on to say “the medium-bodied flavors are both seductive and quite generously proportioned with excellent richness.” Spot on Mr. Meadows. I will only add that not only is this wine full and fleshy, it’s also bright and crisp.
The Wine Advocate had a similar opinion of this one. “The 2017 Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux wafts from the glass with aromas of fresh peach, yellow apples, Anjou pear, white flowers and pastry cream. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, ample and succulent, with a racier, tighter-knit profile than the Mont-Palais—which is typical of this site. Drink now – 2028.” Again, great notes from William Kelley, another Burgundy critic who knows what he’s talking about.
We’ve sold more White Burgundy at Table Wine in 2020 than any year since we opened in 2010. That makes me happy, and it’s wines like this that helped us accomplish that. Drink this gorgeous White Burg now with scallops in cream sauce and/or put some down to enjoy in 2025. Cheers and keep drinking White Burgundy!
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville