The Wines Rully, villages and premiers crus Discover the estate’s wines Jaeger Defaix

Vintage 2024 An extreme vintage

In Chablis, the 2024 season will be remembered as one of the most challenging in recent memory, a concentration of every possible difficulty.

Budburst occurred very early following a wet and relatively mild winter. A few nights of frost in mid-April hit certain areas hard, and in our case, several hectares were 100% destroyed.
Then, on the evening of May 1st, a violent hailstorm struck Chablis, causing severe damage and for us, wiping out several hectares of our Premier Cru vineyards.

Afterwards, we experienced a period of fluctuating temperatures—alternating between cool and mild— highly unfavorable for flowering. As a result, we observed widespread coulure (poor fruit set) across all parcels.

As if that wasn’t enough, rainfall in 2024 reached extreme levels, leading to a very high pressure of mildew, which in turn caused substantial additional losses.

In August, warm and dry weather helped the remaining grapes to mature and allowed the vines to build up reserves for the following year. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to reverse the overall trend, and 2024 will go down as our smallest harvest in volume over the past 30 years.

Harvesting began in Chablis on September 19th and stretched over 15 days in order to achieve the best possible ripeness in each vineyard sector.
It’s a very characterful vintage, showing beautiful minerality and moderate alcohol levels. The wines have refined and gained density during aging—undoubtedly thanks to the low yields, which allowed us to bring in grapes of great concentration.

In Rully, we experienced a very different season—no frost or hail damage, and while rainfall was significant, it was nothing compared to Chablis. The pressure of mildew remained high but we managed to contain the spread of the fungus.
As a result, the harvest was average in quantity but really satisfying given the challenges of the year.
We started picking on September 14th, beginning with the red Premier Crus to allow a few extra days of ripening for the whites, as Chardonnay was maturing more slowly than usual in this vintage.
The whites show well-balanced, generous profiles, and the reds are fruit-forward with lovely aromatic complexity.

Vintage 2023 A generous and pleasant vintage

After the wonderful vintage 2022, 2023 once again offers a lovely, generous, and pleasant vintage.

This year again, the winter was quite mild with very few real days of frost. But, this year, the budburst has arrived later compared to the previous years and then we had no frost damages.

In the spring, the growth took place at a steady pace with a great cluster setting (means the number of future grapes).
But the wet weather forced us to maintain a high level of vigilance in order to keep a good sanitary state.
The unstable weather alternating thunderstorms or heavy rains with high temperatures was also very profitable for the weeds. Then it was complicated to keep the soils clean.

Finaly, we have had very little diseases in Chablis despite a very high pressure of mildiou, and also a great sanitary state in Rully thanks to a serious vigilance regarding the sensitivity to oïdium.

We have also thinned out leaves manually at the end of the season to give a better aeration to the grapes, this also helped to avoid the spread of diseases.

The maturation went well with quite high temperatures – in particular during the first days of September – and without water stress.

The harvest began on the 7th of September in Rully and few days later in Chablis.

The whites are showing quite similar profiles compared to 2022 with a great balance, a very pleasant mouth, and a wonderful aromatic complexity.
The reds are very fruity, quaffable and full of fineness.

Once the harvest was over and the winemaking partly achieved, we had very good weather conditions in the late season. So, it was possible to set up cover crops on certain plots.
This will bring a better mineralisation of the soils and so, improve even more their structure. This cover will be destroyed next March.

Vintage 2022 The vintage we were hoping for

After the very difficult season 2021, we all hoped a more serene and generous year.
Our wishes were fulfilled…

This year again, the winter was quite mild with very few real days of frost. And, once again, the budburst started early.

We had a small frost alert in early April with very little damages as it happened one week earlier compared to 2021. We have also confirmed the efficiency of pruning in 2 steps in order to delay the budburst. And we have tested our new heating cables installation, it worked well.

The beginning of the season has been racing with a quick and regular growth.
The weather was great with few rainfalls at the right time.
And the flowering took place without any trouble.

At the end of June, we have received 80 mm of rain which was very positive for the soil reserves and so for the rest of the season.
We have thinned out the leaves on one side of the row at the end of the season to have a good aeration nearby the grapes and avoid a possible spread of diseases.

The harvests started at the end of August in Rully and early September in Chablis. So, it is still a very early vintage. Thanks to the excellent sanitary state of the vineyard, we were able to wait for the perfect maturity for each parcel. In general, in 2022, we are back to normal volumes without excess.

The whites are showing a nice balance, and a great structure in the mouth; the Rully’s with a beautiful aromatic palette and the Chablis’ on the minerality.

On the reds 2022, we are back to an important phenolic potential. So, the challenge was to extract not too much in order to preserve the fruit and the fineness we love so much.

Vintage 2021 A challenging season and, at the end, elegant and fine wines

After a mild and wet winter, without real cold periods, we have had a very warm week at the end of March with temperatures over 20°C (which is very high for the season). Because of that, the budburst of the Chardonnay’s has arrived much earlier than usual.

Then we had frosts, sometimes very strong, from April 5th and during almost 2 weeks. The frost was more important on the top of the slopes (black frost) and the humidity has further accentuated the damages.
On the frost parcels, the vine took almost one month and a half to restart. The difference between the vines (frost and not frost) was visible until the end of June.

The beginning of the season was humid with small but very frequent rainfalls. The flowering happened mid-June.
From mid-July, the weather got even worse with morning rains every 2/3 days. And so, the sanitary conditions have changed very quickly.
We have thinned out the leaves manually to aerate the vegetation, allow the grapes to dry and to benefit from the sun. It has helped us to keep the grapes in good shape until the harvest.

The maturity took time to achieve so we had to be patient. We have started the harvest on the 21st of September in Rully as in Chablis and the whole work was done within 5 days…

In the cellar, the vinification of vintage 2021 went off smoothly. The alcoholic and malolactic fermentations were easy and calm (much more quiet compared to the 2 previous vintages). After the malolactic, the wines have improved in fineness and complexity.

On the Chablis', we are back to the great classics with a lot of deepness and minerality.

On the white Rully's, it is on purity and freshness. On the red Rully's, the colour has been more difficult to extract this year but then we have very fruity and pleasant reds, very burgundy!

Vintage 2020 A peaceful year...at least in the vineyard

The budburst arrived early after a mild and wet winter. Then the vine changed rapidly. Everyone remembers the outstanding weather conditions we have had during the first lockdown (from mid-March until mid-May in France) …

A short period of frost arrived on the first days of April with temperatures around -2°C/-3°C. Hopefully, the atmosphere was very dry, so the risk remained small. We did not have to use protection systems and there were no damages in the vineyard.

The growth kept going, very regular and still rapid during the whole season. Each time, the rainfalls arrived at the right time, followed by good weather periods. And the usual diseases (mildiou and oïdium) remained silent. The perfect season!

At the end of July unfortunately, two very warm days (more than 40°C) made significant damages in Chablis, roasting the grains. In Rully, the Chardonnay resisted rather well while the Pinot suffered a lot from the drought with problems of withered berries.

Regarding the quantity, we went from a good (even very good) harvest to an average one.
The young vines particularly suffered from the drought and the roasting while the old ones, deep-rooted, did very well.

As expected regarding the flowering date and the whole season, we had incredibly early harvest in Rully where we have started on August 24th to finish on the 28th. In Chablis, we have picked from September 1st to 8th.
There is a more significant gap than usual between the two areas. In Chablis, the rain on the 3rd week of August has helped to rebalance the situation and has delayed a bit the maturity date.

Just like last year, the fermentation started very quickly and went through without problems…

Qualitatively, the vintage 2020 has a style very closed to 2019, an excellent balance acidity/alcohol, a very good texture, structure and certainly a great potential for ageing.
On the reds, the outstanding maturity gives a concentration a bit higher than usual while remaining on a good balance.

Vintage 2019 A rather calm season and a structured vintage

After a mild and little rainy winter, the buds begun to grow at the beginning of April. And, as often in such cases, we had the first spring frost events on April 5 in Rully and during 4 nights, April 12 to 15, in Chablis. The damages were moderate, mostly located on the lower part of the slopes which is characteristic of spring frosts.

In the following time, the vine has grown continuously and regularly. Rainfall just before the flower and mild temperatures have resulted in a great flowering with very low shatter. The full flowering happened mid-June so this year was just a little bit early compared to the average.

During the whole season, the weather has remained very dry but our vines have not suffered from that. Thanks to the ploughing, the roots can find the necessary resources in depth.
At the end of July, the temperatures have reached 40°C during one week and this may have caused drying effects on the side facing the setting sun. On the concerned parcels (hopefully not the majority!), the loss was around 20%.

Thanks to this hot and dry climate, we did not have to spray a lot to protect the vineyard and the sanitary state was outstanding. This enabled us to serenely wait the perfect maturity before harvesting.

The harvests started on September 11 in Rully and September 13 in Chablis.

We have observed more homogeneity on the maturity of our different parcels; the gap between the earliest and the latest was less important than usual. So, the harvest took place quickly with a minimalist sorting related to the perfect sanitary condition. Regarding the yields, we are on medium volumes (losses due to the frost, the low juice yield and the drying effects).

The musts were easy to settle thanks to the maturity, just about right without excess.
The alcoholic fermentations, always with natural yeasts, started quickly and went regularly. It has been easy also for the malo.

In the end, the 2019’s have a very beautiful structure; they have the frame of the 2017’s and the pleasant style of the 2018’s. But they need more ageing and time than the 2018’s.
The whites are characterized by their strength and their structure, matched to a great minerality in the finish for the Chablis’, and to very pleasant notes of ripe fruits for the Rully’s.
The reds are showing a great concentration with nice aromas of red fruits, very typical of the pinot noir.

Vintage 2018 The unexpected vintage that we were all waiting for...

We have had a rather cold winter (particularly in February) but above all very rainy. A lot of sources, dried for years, have resurfaced.

The disbudding is observed quite lately in April and we have got through few spring frosts during the same month. Then thanks to the nice climate, the vine has caught up and the vegetative cycle has really speeded up; the first green leaves were visible at the end of April.

In May, the weather has remained very nice and the growth very steady. We have made the first tying-up at the end of May and we could observe the first flowers early June which is very early. On the first half of June the situation has been a bit tenser with a wet weather, very favourable for mildew.
Hopefully, the good weather went back mid-June and has stayed until the harvest, even later.
We have had few thunderstorms with heavy rains during the summer; but, each time, they were immediately followed by a dry, hot and windy weather so the vegetation was not staying wet. The sanitary state has been just perfect, which is exceptional on our northern vineyards.

Just before the harvest, we were all worried about the juice yield that we were expecting rather low due to the very dry summer.
Finally, this 2018 harvest has been fantastic in every way: an outstanding quality with a perfect sanitary state and so, a minimal sorting; and an unexpected quantity, with good yields but that remain reasonable on our perspective to reach a good quality.

We have begun harvesting on Sept 3rd in Rully and Sept 5th in Chablis for respective durations of 6 and 10 days. On Sept 15th everything was in with an optimum maturity and still good acidities.

The alcoholic fermentations, all with natural yeasts, have started very quickly and were rather turbulent. But they went on for a long time and some just finished at the beginning of 2019.
The whites are very gourmand with a quite round profile and a finish that has become finer and tenser during the ageing. The reds are showing very nice colours and great fruity notes. The wines are already very nice to taste even on their youth.

Vintage 2017 A qualitative vintage but very different quantities between whites and reds

January was quite cool with sub-zero temperatures, which have undoubtedly helped to sanitize the soils after a very strong pressure of the diseases in 2016.
The pruning was finished early, which enabled us to plough from the beginning of March in very good conditions in order to prepare the soils at best.

At the end of March, the temperatures rose to 20°C, which led to an early and quick budburst and at the beginning of April, the first leaves were already visible.
From the 18th of April, the weather changed with very cold nights, the temperatures dropping to -4/-5°C in some areas. All in all, we had 8 nights with frost on the Chablis area, causing huge damages despite all the protections (water spraying, candles, straw). The spraying has been used during the 8 nights. We have lit the candles and then the straw for 3 nights the first week and 2 nights on the second week.

In May, the parcels that did not freeze went on with their growing cycle, while the other ones started one month later. That gap caused problems to organize the work in the vineyard.
The flowering started at the beginning of June, which is really early. Then we realized that the vines that were not visibly frozen in April were even so damaged and the flower abortion was quite considerable.

The pressure of diseases was much less serious than in 2016, notably thanks to a fine month of June, even very warm on some days. These heat peaks (more than 35°C) happened again several times in the summer, causing some roasting damages on Chardonnay.

The harvest that promised to be very early considering the flowering date, finally started a few days later due to a cloudy weather in July and August.
While we expected to begin in very early September, we finally started the harvest on the 4th of the month in Rully and the 11th in Chablis, so with a larger interval than usual.
The very hot days at the end of August were good for the maturity however this heat dried the grape (on Chardonnay) resulting in a historically low juice yield. On the Chablis and the white Rullys not hit by the frost, we had more grapes than in 2016, but the crop quantity was lower due to a lower quantity of juice.
Regarding the red wines, the quantity was not affected as the Pinot Noir is less heat sensitive. The sanitary state was perfect with almost no sorting to do.

In the end, for the Chablis, 2017 is a vintage with fine typicity and structure.
The white Rully’s show great concentration and substance.
And, for the reds, we have a great crop, in term of quality as well as quantity.

Vintage 2016 A painful season but a successful vintage

The wintertime had been particularly mild without snow, without real frost. Mildness and dry weather in December then we have had a lot of rain during January and February.
In March, the dry weather came back so we have made the first ploughing on very good conditions. Thanks to the cool temperatures, the vine did not evolve too early.

Unfortunately, winter was not completely gone. During the night between the 26th and the 27th of April, the temperatures felt to -2°C with a very high humidity. The damages were visible from the next day in Chablis as in Rully. This frost was particular as it has struck a large area, on sensitive sectors but also on usually preserved places.

 Then the elements have been particularly unfavorable till the end of the season. The hail has impacted the Chablis area very severely twice, on the 13th and the 27th of May.

In the same time, the incessant rain during the spring has led to a very bad flowering and an incredibly high pressure of mildew. In early June, after very wet weeks and a pressure of mildew at the highest, we were spraying almost twice a week with cupper and sulfur without results. Considering the losses already caused by the frost, it was unthinkable for us not to take all possible measures in order to contain the mildew. So we have made several conventional treatments to limit the evolution of the fungus. Therefore, we have lost the certification from vintage 2016 to start again 3 years of conversion. It has been a very difficult decision to take but, on our opinion, it was necessary in order to preserve a minimum of crop.

 Then, in August, the heat and the dryness we had expected so much finally arrived but on a sudden and intense way which have caused dehydration and roasting on the grapes;..

Each of these events has led to a loss more or less important regarding the areas. So we were prepared to make a historically low harvest. Unfortunately, that is what happened, even worse than planned. For us, the crop loss is around 70%. The average loss for the whole Chablis area is around 50%.

In Rully, the season was the same except the hail. The volumes are a bit reduced on the reds (-30%) and 50% less on the whites.

There is hopefully a positive point (and not the slightest): the good quality of this vintage 2016 which combines maturity and balance on the whites; silky tannins and great depth on the reds.

Vintage 2015 A golden vintage

The winter 2014/2015 was rather mild (too mild!) except for few days of frost in early January.
The budburst occured at the end of March/beginning of April which is on the average. All along spring, thanks to the mild temperatures, the growth was very steady.
The flowering happened at the beginning of June with excellent weather conditions.
And, last but not least, due to the very small rainfalls, the pressure of diseases has remained at a low level.
June and July were very dry. Then in August, the rainfalls just before veraison have really speeded up the evolution of the grape.
In 2015, we have finally had an easy season.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of September, a very big stormed has fallen on Chablis with more than 100 mm of rain in few hours and hail.
Luckily, our parcels haven't been damaged by hail. But the storm has considerably accelerated the maturity and obliged us to bring forward the date of harvest.
So we have begun to pick on the 4th of September in Chablis as well as in Rully.
From the first pressing, the must have shown a great concentration with fruit aromas.
By harvesting early, we have preserved the perfect balance of the juices.
The alcoolic fermentations have begun very quickly but went on for a long period. This is a positive point as it makes a natural and soft batonnage.
In early December, on some wines, the fermentation was still going on. The malolactic fermentations have begun naturally, just after all the sugar has disappeared so at the beginning of January.
After the malo, the wines were showing a very nice dynamism and this even if the acid malic content was low.
To sum up, 2015 is a very greedy vintage, with a good freshness and a very nice complexity of aromas.