Tasted with Stéphanie Michelet in Lignorelles, 25 January 2024.
Domaine Courtault-Michelet
1 route de Montfort
89800 Lignorelles
Tel: +33 3 86 47 50 59
www.chablis-courtault.com
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Stéphanie on 2023:
“We had a nice year – but special – battling against the mildew and at the end of August it wasn’t ripe – it was cold even – but in 2023 it was September that made the wine – lovely weather and the grapes ripened quite quickly. We had correct acidities. We had plenty of rain in July/August which made for larger grapes and there were plenty of them after fine weather for flowering. I think you can see the vineyard differences more in 2023 than in 2022. There’s less fighting to reserve the 23s than was the case for the 22s too but that reflects the wider availability of wine”
Stéphanie on 2022:
“I think it’s a lovely vintage; it was warm for most of the year – we just avoided frost – some similarities to 2020 but a more constant heat and not the peaks of temperature of 19 and 20. We started harvesting 30th August – the only other times we harvested in August were 2003 and 2020. The main worry in 22 was that it was dry for a lot of the time. It was the first time for our young vines in Epineuil – which is bottling today – that they looked to have got through the year in good shape too. It’s a fruity vintage – and that’s good for us, as due to the lack of 21s we have needed to bottle something a little earlier and they taste well young. So we’ve made some early bottlings but the large cuvées are not yet all bottled and we still see a nice minerality.”
The wines…
A very successful vintage at this address – there are many excellent wines – and a few which I’d have a little more patience with to minimise oak flavours. Well done!
Now all is DIAM, particularly they appreciate this seal in the warmer years as they feel it holds more freshness…:”
2022 Petit Chablis
Mainly from Lignorelles, average 20-year-old vines.
A mineral freshness to this wine with a stonier depth. Direct wine – growing wider – there’s intensity here with a modest austerity – keep it a year – but the finishing complexity and energy are juicy and moreish – persistent too. Yes, just be patient!
2022 Petit Chablis Sous le Vent
Vinified exactly the same. This from the vines in Beine between Vau Ligneau and Vau de Vey where they have the windmills – hence the name – it’s colder, with more limestone here. An assemblage of parcels.
Small top notes but wider and more concentrated depth of aroma. Supple, silky, beautifully direct and broad – delicious and saline in the finishing burst of flavour. Drink this whilst waiting for the previous!
2022 Chablis
A blend of Lignorelles and Beines – mainly 1980s vines planted by Stéphanie’s parents. Usually more fruit from Lignorelles, structure and minerality comes more from Beines.
The higher toned breadth is restored – even a little lime in this citrus aroma. Properly mineral and structural too – some citrus bitters and a nice fluidity – this is a super wine – which will improve even more over the next 2+ years.
2022 Chablis Vieilles Vignes La Croix St.Augustin
70% old vines – some dating from 1947 – the cross close to Villy – there’s clay here but below quite draining limestone. The rest over 60 years old in Lignorelles.
A nose of more ease and a little floral complexity. Ooh – that’s lovely – more expressive, silky and fluid – still a concentration at the base. That’s a simply excellent Chablis – beautiful wine! Only the finish seems a little smaller – but you just need to refresh your glass!
“1ers are all bought as must – ‘it’s hard to buy grapes…’ but these are quite long-term purchases from the same producers.” Mont de Milieu uses only tank elevage – this year the Fourchaume and the Beauroy has a little barrel in the mix.”
2022 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
Bought from same producer since 2008 – 50 year old vines. All tank elevage on the fine lees.
Here is a tighter nose, faintly floral, even more faintly fumé and a suggestion of flowers. Ooh – that’s direct, concentrated, growing with a large wave of intensity. Clean, interesting – completely different from the majority of oaked Mont de Milieu. And I love it – I wouldn’t hesitate in waiting 5 years – it’s excellent!
2022 Chablis 1er Beauroy
A small cuvée from the Côte de Savant. Because of the size they are forced to use their smallest tank plus some old barrels to try to minimise the impact of the wood. 900 litres.
Riper yellower fruit and a frame of creamy oak. Large scale and round in the mouth – the wine framed first by a salinity and, second, by the oak flavours. I’d be waiting at least 3 years to let this oak flavour fade – but the silky, concentrated wine behind this make-up is super.
2022 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
The first with a natural cork – all the previous have been diam.
A vibrant width of yellow fruit that’s still ripe but neither golden nor honied – lovely. Nice scale, lots of salinity, it’s a wine of fresh, delicious energy and the barrel is hardly visible before the finish. That’s a really panoramic finish – it’s delicious despite the incursion of some more woody notes. I find this a simply excellent Fourchaume – yum!
2022 Chablis 1er Homme Mort
The previous Fourchaume touches on Homme Mort – but here the viticulture is not the same – worked organically here. Just 500 litres – just enough for the demi-muid! NdTec style of cork.
Less width but lots of depth. More direct than the Fourchaume the first wave of flavour more saline before easing over the palate – a little barrel mixed into this flavour. The finish bursts broader still – it’s long. I like the texture and palette of these flavours. Keep it 5 years and the oak should be gone – another potentially excellent wine!
2022 Chablis Valmur
The same contract since 2013. Fermentation started in tank before filling the barrels.
Larger scale to this nose – much more in the higher, floral, tones – that’s a lovely invitation – becoming more and more saline. Extra breadth, more supple and concentrated then a sweeping, mineral finish. This will make me very happy in 5+ years again – though the oak is actually much more discreet here than some of the previous. Super wine!
And a peek at a 2020:
2020 Petit Chablis
Of Lignorelles
Here is the first stage of asparagus in 2020 that I’ve tasted locally – but not the first that I’ve tasted – there was the 2020 Domaine (Maison of course in this case) Leflaive wine too – but there are also some nice florals – this is for drinking now! This is large and supple and very delicious – if you can ignore the accent. Drink up, but still with some pleasure today!
Le Red!
2022 Bourgogne Epineuil Côte de Grisey
A young plantation – this the 4th vintage – 1.36 ha – “When my father bought the plot it was already planted with trees; he couldn’t plant vines because he couldn’t obtain any plantation rights (droits de plantation). 20 years ago, rules to obtain some rights took into consideration the age of the person, the surface of the domain etcetera … It was possible to plant once I arrived to work on the domaine. As a young winemaker, I could obtain some rights.” This a sample from the tank – which will all be bottled by the end of the day. Half the elevage for this was in tank.
Hmm – what a lovely, perfumed, nose – more blue than red or black fruit – hyper-inviting. Larger scale in the mouth than the nose first suggests – there’s structure and spicy energy here – and I’d wait 2 years for all that to settle down. It’s a super elegant nose – the palate is much more energetic and a wine to wait for – but very tasty wine!