2022 Chablis, Montée de Tonnerre, 1er Cru, Louis Michel & Fils, Burgundy

From the Chapelot sector. Mid lemon yellow. The nose is much more backward than Vaulorent though with power. Picked 6th September at 12.5%. Plenty of guts to this, a more austere stoniness on the second half of the palate, no shortage of fruit, becoming just a little more opulent at the finish.

Drink 2027 - 2035

The 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has an attractive bouquet with touches of frangipane infusing the citrus fruit and hints of dried orange peel coming through with time. The palate is well-balanced with a waxy-textured opening. Good delineation, quite saline, with a twist of sour lemon dovetailing into a slight nutty/smoky note on the finish. One of the finest Premier Crus from Louis Michel.

It had been far too long since I visited Lous Michel & Fils in the heart of Chablis ville. I tasted the 2022s with Guillaume Michel, who told me the Premier Crus will be bottled in October and the Grand Crus in May. "Everything here is aged in stainless steel," he explains. “I’m the laziest winemaker. We use natural yeast and spontaneous fermentations so that they can last for two or three months. The wines are then racked and fined using bentonite if necessary, which we have found in recent vintages because, for some reason, since 2018, there has been more protein in the wines. We keep the cellars cold in order to precipitate tartrates.” Later, there is an interesting discussion about using electric wires to protect the vines against frost.

Along with seven other winemakers, they have covered ten hectares in Montée de Tonnerre 1.8 hectares belonging to Louis Michel). He told us that this has been very effective, not least because it automatically switches on whenever temperatures drop to the pre-set degree. The benefits to the wine could be immediately gauged by comparing it to their other cuvées. However, Michel mentions that later on in the season the vines are more advanced, thus making them more susceptible to mildew that was threatening at that very moment. Another subject broached was vine disease, particularly court-noué. While the oldest vines appear to have accreted natural resistance, those planted in the 1970s and 1980s must be pulled up. "Clones are a thing of the past," he states. “Today, nearly all growers replant using sélection massale." All their 2022s are between 12.5% and 13.0% alcohol. Michel’s wines have impressed in blind tastings held at the BIVB in recent years, so I was glad to visit the winery. The 2022s continue a strong run of form, well-crafted Chablis from top to bottom, the Butteaux Vieilles Vignes certainly constituting one of the highlights.

Drink 2024 - 2040

There is complexity on the nose, weight and concentration on the palate, along with great acidity, all combined with the ripeness of fruit and mineral notes on the finish. Just bottled but still showing beautifully. Manager Guillaume Michel notes that his Montée de Tonnerre is 100% from Chapelot. This is a south-facing, homogenous parcel from the bottom of Chapelot to the mid-level.

Drink 2025 - 2032