2008 Chablis Les Forets

The Michel 2008 Chablis Les Forets is suffused with that savory, saline, sweet, scallop-like sense that renders so many of the best wines of the Auxerre memorable as well as versatile, here combined with lusciously refreshing lemon and grapefruit on a glossy, texturally nuanced, yet strikingly buoyant, palate. This succulent beauty should perform memorably at table for at least the next 6-8 years. Jean-Loup Michel and Guillaume Cicqueau-Michel have rendered an exemplary collection of 2008s, with their tank-elevage seemingly capturing the exuberance and refreshment of the vintage without paying any significant price in terms of depth and complexity. I suspect that the team’s reliance exclusively on spontaneous fermentation this year might well have contributed significantly to their success. Of course, I do not imagine based on ideology – much less insist – that spontaneous fermentation is always superior, just as I try to avoid any over-simplification of complex viticultural and vinificatory issues. In fact, I strongly suspect that it is the considerable extent of machine harvesting and exclusively tank upbringing of Louis Michel wines that leads many commentators to incompletely appreciate the consistently high level of quality that has since long before 2008 emanated from this address. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802