Louis Michel et Fils 1er Cru Butteaux 'Vieilles Vignes' 2023, Chablis

Louis Michel & Fils | Chablis, Burgundy, France For more than 170 years, Domaine Louis Michel & Fils has been one of Chablis' defining family estates, producing wines that express the region's unique limestone terroir with remarkable purity and precision. Based in the heart of Chablis since 1850 and now led by Guillaume Michel, the domaine farms some of the appellation's most prestigious vineyard sites across Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. Guided by the belief that great wine is made in the vineyard, Louis Michel has become internationally renowned for its uncompromising commitment to terroir expression. Every wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured exclusively in stainless steel, deliberately avoiding oak so that the character of the Kimmeridgian soils, ancient marine fossils and individual vineyard sites remain completely transparent. The result is a collection of Chablis celebrated for its purity, minerality, freshness and exceptional sense of place—wines that rank among the finest expressions of unoaked Chardonnay in the world. Tasting Note: Produced from Louis Michel's prized Vieilles Vignes parcel within Premier Cru Butteaux, planted in 1955, this is the more concentrated and age-worthy of the domaine's two Butteaux bottlings. The 2023 opens with pure aromas of lime, green apple, ripe pear and white flowers, layered over a distinctive foundation of crushed chalk, oyster shell and saline minerality. The palate is full and precise, with impressive old-vine concentration balanced by vibrant acidity and a tightly defined mineral core. Citrus and orchard fruit carry through the mid-palate before a long, zesty, chalk-inflected finish. Fermented and matured without oak, it combines the purity of classic Louis Michel Chablis with the additional depth, texture and persistence that come from this exceptional old-vine parcel. Rating: Robert Parker 90 ALC (%): 13 Variety: Chardonnay Food Pairing: Seafood, chicken, pasta Volume Available: 750 ml