Tasted in Chablis with Guillaume Michel, 14 January 2022.
Domaine Louis Michel
9 boulevard de Ferrières
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 88 55
www.louismicheletfils.com
More reports with Domaine Louis Michel
Guillaume on 2021:
“Nearly half a harvest in 2021 – we have vines all around Chablis so we are not decimated in just one place!”
Guillaume on 2020:
“20 is, of course, better than 21 but we still ‘lost’ about 15% – don’t forget there was a little frost in this vintage too – which had consequences – more producing coulure than really losing the flowers. We have more normal alcohols after the higher of 18 and 19 – some people had wines of 14° but here not.”
The wines…
Really a particularly excellent range of wines here in 2020 – many that I would make a special search to buy. Some of 2020 at its best!
Four wines are bottled so we will start with those. The Petit Chablis and Chablis, plus some 1ers for certain clients are sealed with DIAM, the rest are all NdTech cork:
From above and behind Valmur from 2 ha of vines. These were the first vines harvested – 31 August – did Clos and Grenouilles the same day too – right bank was ripe, normally we do PC last! but we were never sure of the maturity but were questioning ourselves – ‘but we said to ourselves, will waiting bring anything more?’
That’s nicely vibrant and has a bit of lime citrus. Hmm, that’s a lovely wine – there’s both concentration and freshness – purity too. That’s one of the best PCs I’ve tasted on this tour – bravo!
2020 Chablis
‘The majority of this was harvested towards the end of the harvest – but okay, we only harvested for 6 days!’
Not a large nose but one of beautiful clarity – a super invitation. An extra concentration, more generous too but not fat or rich. This is mouth-filling and very tasty. Very good!
2020 Chablis 1er Vaillons
A narrower nose but with some riper lemon-citrus at the base. Extra growing intensity here – really mouth-filling with fine clarity of citrus flavours – the minerality present but discrete. That’s very tasty wine, deliciously finishing.
2020 Chablis 1er Vaulorent
Ooh – that’s good, vibrant, more lime fruit energy – like the PC. Love the feel and shape and energy of this wine – it’s a bundle of expressive energy and almost juicy, mineral, finishing. That’s excellent – it’s just short of a bit more structure.
The rest of these wines tasted from tank samples:
2020 Chablis 1er Montmains
Picked mid-harvest
Wide, airy, floral with a little reduction supporting all today. Extra mineral – super clarity to this flavour – a little tannin showing too. Always subtly reductive – as is normal in tank. Long, clean, tasty finishing – that’s also excellent.
Picked same day as the last
Pure but more of a zesty vibration to these aromas. Extra fresh, pure, saline too. There’s a fluidity here that marks this out as a great wine. Bravo and so fine finishing too!
2020 Chablis 1er Butteaux
All these parcels (except Butteaux VV) are of similar age of vines. This has similar soil to Montmains, but Montmains is cooler, Forêt with more stones
More a middle way – not a fully open nose, neither a high-toned and perfumed nose – more the middle. Hmm – extra density to this flavour but with no loss of clarity. A larger wine with extra minerality in the finish – really mouth-watering finely in the finish. Wait a bit longer for this one – it will be excellent, I think.
This will be bottled the same time as GCs so there’s a couple of months more elevage than the previous wine
Not a large nose but a finer nose than the previous – attractively wide. A noble reduction at the base and again the fluidity of a great wine. Like the Forets with a bit more incisive intensity – and that was already great! Bravo!
2020 Chablis 1er Séchets
We always start harvesting in this Vaillons valley – it gains it’s ripeness earlier here. Also, normally, a later bottling
Nicely vibrant – that’s a very inviting, mineral nose. Large-scale – ultra-fresh think of Tessons or Narvaux in the context of Meursault. That’s slowly mouth-watering with an attractive citrus skin finish. Another simply excellent wine…
2018 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
A decent width of aroma, quite mineral but still a little compact. More mouth-filling, plenty of citrus energy too. This is harder to judge than many yet there’s certainly a bit extra complexity in the agrume flavours. The finish is lovely though. Potentially an excellent wine though hard to pin down today.
2020 Chablis Vaudesir
From the north-facing hillside which helps conserve the freshness in warm vintages, but needs later harvesting…
Very compact but ultra-mineral and that’s a very attractive minerality. Mouth-filling, really a big wave of flavour here. Grand cru shape and weight of flavour, the finish too – just missing a touch of personality today…
Directly more vibrant and inviting – lots of citrus skin complexity – yes! More a core of flavour here that starts to melt and spread out over the palate – lots of personality to this wine – plenty of citrus but quite a complex citrus, not just a simply lime-lemon (yuzu anyone?)
More volume – quite airy though a little diffuse today at the start, slowly focusing with a nice white flower perfume. Here is a more composed yet more complex wine – really this has everything – I’m very impressed it has the fluidity I prize but it also has the clarity and complexity to set it apart even more – bravo!