Domaine Louis Michel & Fils

The domaine is noted for its insistence on stainless steel rather than barrels for its fine range of premier and grand cru Chablis. The domaine dates back to 1850 and was brought to prominence under the late Louis Michel. He was followed by his son Jean-Loup Michel, and now the latter’s nephew Guillaume Gicqueau-Michel, who left Paris and the world of web publicity for Chablis in 2007.

Petit Chablis, Chablis and some younger vines in the crus are picked by machine, everything else by hand. The Michels like to pick late, but then move quickly once the grapes reach the desired ripeness. This requires three separate presses in the winery. Since 2008 indigenous yeasts have been used for fermentation.

The Petit Chablis and Chablis are bottled in stages beginning in the spring: the premiers crus from just before the next harvest, while the grands crus receive 18 months élevage. The whole process of vinification here is reductive, in the absence of oxygen, so it can be useful to decant the premier and grand cru wines before serving.

One of the secrets behind the success of this domaine, in addition to the quality of their work, is that they have good holdings well located within several of the most prestigious crus. The Forêts and Butteaux holdings have been vinified apart since 2004, with a separate bottling of the old-vine parcel of Les Butteaux (planted 1954) beginning in 2005. Another stand-out 1er Cru is the Montée de Tonnerre, their holding forming one large block in the heart of the appellation.

The three Grands Crus are all excellent in their distinctive styles. Grenouilles has a characteristic ripe spiciness, even a touch of liquorice sometimes. This is Chablis for rich white meat dishes. The domaine has two plots of Vaudésir, both on the north-facing slope, so it is necessary to pick late but be watchful for rot. The Louis Michel Vaudésir is all about the white fruit on a bed of pure limestone. The most complete wine of the three however is their magical Les Clos (planted 1968).