2018 Louis Michel & Fils Chablis Forets
2018 Louis Michel & Fils Chablis Forets
Notes of undergrowth and fern, mixed with other spicier ripe fruit, cocoa and pepper aromas, suggesting a lively, very mineral and chalky palate, with the famous gunflint taste, sometimes with a suggestion of licorice notes. In the Domaine’s two parcels, the bedrock is located just a few centimetres underfoot, and helps to bring an appealing minerality to the wine. The large number of the pebbles in the soil means that it offers excellent drainage. The southern vineyards bring warmer aromas to the wine, which evolve into ripe fruit aromas.
Vinous (92/100)
The 2018 Chablis Forêts 1er Cru is a powerful, dense wine. This is another premier cru in the Louis Michel range that needs time to be at its very best. A burst of yellow orchard fruit, candied lemon, white flowers and crushed rocks hits the palate in a rich yet tightly wound Chablis that will benefit from at least a few years in bottle.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (90/100)
Notions of crisp green apple, citrus blossom, peach and beeswax introduce the 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Forêts, a medium-bodied, elegantly textural wine with a delicate core of fruit, lively acids and a nicely defined finish. This is an especially perfumed, pretty Forêt from Louis Michel.
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 artificial woody flavors. Through this philosophy, combined with limited yields inspired by organic wine-growing techniques, the Domaine has developed a worldwide reputation for fine winemaking in stainless steel tanks. 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.”