Domaine Louis Michel
Today, I bring good news and bad.
Recently, a friend living in Chablis phoned, apologizing that it had taken so long for him to get back to me. He’d been busy with the harvest, which he described in one word “Catastrophe!” You never like to hear that word! Sadly, I've heard many words describe the 2024 vintage, none of them good. In fact, one person said that 2024 might be “the worst vintage in the last 50 years!” That may be a bit of a stretch, but the wet summer has caused tremendous disease pressure, which has resulted in losses in the range of 40-90%, if you were able to salvage anything at all.
Now that we have the bad news out of the way, the good news is that the 2022 vintage could be one of the finest! In viticulture it is always difficult to predict what the next year brings, which has shaped my buying philosophy to pile into the good vintages when you can!
“These are among the best this domaine has produced.”
I got my first glimpse of Louis Michels wines at the beginning of last year. The style is always one that focuses on freshness as the wines are aged 100% in stainless steel. There is a purity and mid palate richness that is reserved for the very best years. These 2022’s from Louis Michel have that quality and then some. I’ve been selling these wines for a very long time - these are among the best this domaine has produced.
Chablis has long been our go-to spot for white burgundy. The citrus leaning aromatics with sea breeze influence is a wine style for which I never tire. It's a versatile wine; enjoy it on its own or pair it with so many dishes. Factor in the price compared to the neighbors 100km to the south - there is no comparison, as Chablis offers tremendous bang for the buck.
After those two calls in such close proximity, when I saw my supplier flash a nice parcel of Louis Michels 2022’s at the same price I paid 4 months ago - I didn’t hesitate to grap it all! These are solid wines of exceptional quality and come with my highest recommendation.
