94+pts Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is sourced from 0.5 hectares in the mid-slope, steep and stony site not far from Valmur. It derives from vines affected by le court-noué virus, delivering small berries of concentrated flavors and higher maturity. It soars from the glass with a deep bouquet featuring notes of lemon zest, beeswax and iodine mingling with oyster shell. On the palate, it’s taut and compact, the most incisive and precise of all grands crus this year. Despite its underlying power, it has retained a classically Chablisien character, similar to Michel’s Montée de Tonnerre. Concentrated and racy, it concludes with a long, mouthwatering finish. This wine does not lack for power or tension; it’s the finest of Guillaume Michel’s wines in 2022. Drink Date: 2025 - 2039

Guillaume Michel presides over this 25-hectare estate, with most of the land located in the historic part of Chablis. This estate has long been a reference point for tank-fermented and -matured Chablis, a style that the Michel family helped to popularize in the 1980s. Intense and tensile wines are the calling card here, pure and unadorned in style.

Seventy percent of Michel’s holdings are in premier cru and grand cru zones, with the average age of vines being 50 years. Today, seven people work in the vineyards year-round. Organic farming is practiced, except for years with major weather incidents.

In the cellar, fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeast, malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneously, and there is no cold stabilization. Some cuvées see a slightly longer élevage: usually eight to 10 months for Petit Chablis and Chablis Village, 13 to 18 months for premiers crus and 18 months for grands crus. This extended maturation on lees only enhances their quality.

Since 2021, all wines have been bottled under Diam closures, which should ensure their graceful evolution in the bottle.
Certain cuvées stand out—at the premier cru level, the old-vine Butteaux, Séchet and Montée de Tonnerre, while at the grand cru level it’s Vaudésir and Les Clos.

Published: Mar 06, 2025