Domaine Louis Michel & Fils Chablis Vaudesir 2021

The Michel family has been cultivating their passion for tradition and the Chablis terroir since 1850. In the mid-20th century, the family stopped making wine in wooden barrels in favor of stainless steel tanks to create clean, pure, and precise Chablis without adding woody flavors that could mask the Chablis flavor and minerality. Through this philosophy, combined with limited yields inspired by organic wine-growing techniques, the domaine has developed a worldwide reputation for fine wine. A firmly-rooted sense of excellence is passed down from generation to generation. Louis Michel & Fils has always been a family business and is managed today by Guillaume Gicqueau-Michel.   

The highly acclaimed Grand Cru vineyard of Vaudésir has several types of soil. Louis Michel’s parcel is located in the mid-valley area. A whitish and chalky limestone clay is predominant in its steepest part, while the west side has browner clay soils. Wines made from the vines that grow here are tight, with saline notes and a wonderful creamy mouthfeel. This Grand Cru has the distinction of being drinkable and generous, even in its youth, yet will age extremely well. Vaudésir is a favorite climat of serious Chablis connoisseurs. 

This is made from very old vineyards planted in 1950, 1960 & 1970. The terroir contains a strong presence of clay, fairly deep soils that are heavy in places. North-west exposure, that provides cool temperatures and sunlight in the evening. Fairly steep slopes.  

Wine Advocate reports : 'As I've written before, Guillaume Michel presides over this important 22-hectare estate, which has long been the reference for tank-fermented and matured Chablis, a style that the Michel family did much to popularize in the 1980s. Intense and tensile wines are the calling card here, pure and unadorned in style and consistently high in quality. Indeed, I sometimes think that Louis Michel is the most underrated of Chablis's larger domaines. As the reviews reflect, the 2019s have turned out nicely, with a touch more flesh and fruit than usual but retaining good freshness.'