Louis Michel 2023 Big Guns Offer

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 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