Louis Michel & Fils Forets Chablis 1er Cru 2023

Critical Acclaim: 92 pts Jasper Morris; 91 pts Burghound; 90 pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate; 90 pts Vinous. 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: On the nose, Forêts has notes of forest floor and fern, mingled with spicier notes of ripe fruit, cocoa and pepper. The palate is lively, very mineral and chalky, with the distinctive gunflint note that sometimes yields to liquorice. 

"On a bed of stony limestone rather than the blue clay often found here. Slightly more robust on the nose. Spicier with a pure white fruit, even a crystalline quality, better managing the sunshine. Fresh apple and citrus too in the mouth. Drink from 2027-2032."- Jasper Morris. 

"A vague whiff of the exotic can be found on the nose of quinine, orange peel, white peach and lemongrass. The middle weight flavors possess a similar seductive and caressing texture to those of the Montmains with just a bit more vibrancy on the clean and slightly drier finish that flashes just a touch of youthful austerity."- Burghound. 

"Michel’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Forêts, informed by about 80 centimeters of clay topsoil above the limestone bedrock, is already expressive, delivering notes of tangerine zest, dried white flowers and spices. Medium to full-bodied, textural and enveloping, it's vibrant and lively, with more depth and persistence than Montmain, even if it’s not as minerally this year as one might desire. 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."- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

"The 2023 Chablis Forêts 1er Cru has some reduction on the nose, touches of lemongrass and ginger infusing the citrus fruit. The palate has a slightly honeyed entry, more resinous in style, fine acidity with a finish that just needs a little more persistence. Give it a year after bottling."- Vinous. 

Varietal: Chardonnay.