Louis Michel 2023 Big Guns Offer

The 2023 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has kicked on nicely since bottling with yellow fruit, orange cordial and light floral scents. The palate is well balanced and fresh, with a fine bead of acidity and subtle dried honey and pineapple notes toward the finish, reflecting the growing season. The 2023 is early drinking. NEAL MARTIN

Michel's 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montmain, bottled in November 2024, derives from southeast-facing vines growing in clay-rich soils that tend to bring roundness. Wafting from the glass with aromas of acacia, green apple, lemon zest and honeysuckle, it's medium-bodied, bright and lively, with good focus and immediate charm. WINE ADVOCATE

A cooler width of more complex citrus aroma. More fluid, melting and mineral too - now we're getting there. Such a delicious finish! BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The 2023 Chablis Forêts 1er Cru has a touch of reduction on the nose, but there is more intensity beneath that compared to the Montmains. The palate is well balanced with a fresh entry, waxy texture and a dab of spice toward the finish. Give this another 12 months in bottle. NEAL MARTIN

Michel's 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Forêts, informed by about 80 centimeters of clay topsoil above the limestone bedrock, is already expressive, delivering notes of tangerine zest, dried white flowers and spices. Medium to full-bodied, textural and enveloping, it's vibrant and lively, with more depth and persistence than Montmain WINE ADVOCATE

More floral, that's a very pretty invitation. Open, elegant - really a harmonious wine - give it 3-4 years but that's so beautifully textured. The finish is haunting… BILL NANSON

The 2023 Chablis Séchets 1er Cru has more reduction on the nose than other cuvées. You can eke out scents of white clay and light mango. The palate is taut on the entry before gaining more depth on the honeyed mid-palate. Pure and refined, this has one of the most satisfying finishes. Excellent. NEAL MARTIN

With an élevage as long as Michel's grand cru bottlings, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Séchets delivers aromas of pear, dried flowers, orange peel and oyster shell. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit, bright acidity and a long, saline finish. WINE ADVOCATE

A sweeping, quite linear fine yellow citrus. The most incisive wine so far - still supple and with a small generosity but the energy balances that - and the width of finishing flavour is just so impressive. This is my favourite so far! BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The 2023 Chablis Butteaux Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru comes from a single parcel of 65-year-old vines. It undergoes a year longer élevage than the regular cuvée. It has a lifted bouquet of citrus fruit, wild heather and orange rind. The palate displays good concentration and intensity. NEAL MARTIN

As ever, bottled later than the younger-vine cuvée of Butteaux, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux Vieilles Vignes exhibits aromas of tangerine, orange oil, mirabelle plum and beeswax. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a generous core of fruit, tangy acidity and a long, saline finish. It has turned out particularly well. WINE ADVOCATE

Sea-shells and minerality - that's a nose that beckons. Hmm, in the mouth we have something more architectural. Finishing wide and quite generous today - still such a baby - it will certainly be excellent… BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The 2023 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru doesn't quite possess the harmony and precision of the Séchets at the moment. It offers lemon rind and orange zest, but less in the way of mineralité. The palate is well balanced with a viscous, oily opening. Plenty of extract with a slice of sour lemon on the finish… an impressive offering. NEAL MARTIN

From a clay-rich, south-facing site, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, tasted from bottle, unfurls sweet aromas of yellow apple, peach and citrus oil, mingled with notes of freshly baked bread and pear. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, enveloping and gourmand, with a generous core of fruit underpinned by a racy acidity, culminating in a long, lemon-tinged finish. WINE ADVOCATE

Volume and freshness - the individual aromas themselves are more discreet. This has scale and an obvious mineral underpinning, slightly floral and sweet - the finish is another that just clings - it's a super finish! BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The 2023 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has an intriguing bouquet with dried honey and light scents of wet clay. The palate is very well balanced with a strict opening. Quite fresh with a streak of bitter lemon that lends tension on the finish. I would afford this a couple of years in bottle. NEAL MARTIN

A more concentrated core of aroma - slowly opening with more width. Cool, melting, nicely mineral wine. This is so delicately detailed - love the small complexities here - not an outspoken wine - but a wonderful wine. BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The 2023 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru comes from a north-facing part of the vineyard, an advantage in this season as it tends to ripen quickly. It has a reticent nose compared to the 2022 when tasted last year, a little earthier in style, more yellow fruit here, quite tightly wound. The palate is well balanced with a light entry, fresh and crisp with a touch of bitter lemon and white pepper on the finish. It just needs to loosen up a little. NEAL MARTIN

The 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir has turned out very well, soaring from the glass with aromas of lime blossom, white flowers, mirabelle plum and apricot. Medium- to full-bodied, broad-shouldered and concentrated, it is laden with ripe yet vibrant acidity, culminating in a long, precise finish. WINE ADVOCATE

An open, quite airy and fresh nose - it's a good invitation. Direct, cool and mineral but also with a growing width and generosity of flavour. Beautifully fading whilst majoring on the silky mineral aspects - really a contemplative wine… BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The 2023 Chablis Grenouilles Grand Cru takes time to open in the glass, but it is worth waiting for. Lovely touches of white chocolate and almond infuse the citrus fruit as if you would think there is some oak barrels (this happened with the 2006 in Vaudésir the last time.) The palate is medium-bodied with a slight creamy mouthfeel that, again, dupes you into thinking there is some wood contact when there is none. NEAL MARTIN

The 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles is a notable success, offering up aromas of peach, pear, freshly baked bread and citrus oil. Full-bodied yet less powerful than Vaulorent, it is ample and enveloping, with a rich core of fruit, concluding in a long, flavorful finish. WINE ADVOCATE

Extra breadth of aroma - the citrus a little more obviously complex. Cool, wide, just a mm or two of cushioning. Fading oh-so slowly. Another rather elegant wine - obviously mineral and holding a long finish with extra dimensions of flavour. Lovely !! BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The 2023 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru comes from a single parcel towards the Valmur side that was vinified in a new smaller tank as mildew had reduced quantity. The nose is very harmonious and poised, perhaps even more complex than the 2022. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh with a powerful orange rind and spicy finish. NEAL MARTIN

The 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos once again asserts itself as the most powerful and commanding wine in Michel's portfolio this year. It unfurls from the glass with a deep bouquet of lemon confit, apricot and Mirabelle plum, interwoven with notes of freshly baked bread and beeswax. Full-bodied, layered and fleshy yet controlled, it displays considerable reserves of structuring extract that lend energy to its muscular, vinous core. Uniting amplitude with incisiveness, it culminates in a long, persistent finish. WINE ADVOCATE

Extra width to this aroma - complex though subtle - white flowers and flashes of citrus. This cool, mineral shape has quite some architectural volume. Melting at the edges - flavour of such impressive scale and length - but not yet showing the detail - this is a wine to wait for. A top bottle in 5 years? BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report