2018 Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru “Montée de Tonnerre”

Description

94   John Gilman
“Not surprisingly, the 2018 Montée de Tonnerre is one of the more structured premier crus in the cellars this year and it will want some bottle age to start to stir. The potential here is excellent, with the very pure and precise nose offering up scents of green apple, smoke, flinty minerality, citrus zest, spring flowers and a hint of the beeswax to come with bottle age. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with an excellent core of fruit, fine transparency and grip, snappy acids and a long, soil-driven and vibrant finish. This is a first class example.” (12/2019)

90-94   Jasper Morris for Inside Burgundy
“Pure clear colour, the nose has a sunshine laden majesty to it without losing its character. Lots of flavour, very slightly peachy, some rose petal, but all subtly nuanced rather than heavy or heady. Fine weight of fruit on the palate. I like the way this stretches out at the finish.” 92-94 points Antonio Galloni in Vinous: “The 2018 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has a perfumed nose of dandelion, jasmine and crushed chalk aromas, a faint sea spray note emerging with time. The palate is well balanced with a spicy ginger and sage-influenced opening. There is a feisty element to this Vaulorent, a touch of white pepper sprinkled over the finish. Lively and engaging. I would be tempted to broach this earlier than Louis Michel’s other cuvées, yet it is still a well-crafted and quite complex Chablis.” (1/2020)

93   Neal Martin for Vinous
“The 2018 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre is clean and precise on the nose, perhaps more in the vein of a traditional Chablis than, say, the Butteaux. The palate is fresh and lively with crisp acidity, impressive tension and a twist of sour lemon toward the finish that keeps this Chablis alert and alive. Excellent.” (9/2020)

90-93   Allen Meadows for Burghound
“This too is markedly floral in character with its airy and cool nose of citrus, seashore and shellfish hints. The mouth feel of the intense medium weight flavors is also quite sleek and even more mineral-driven on the classy, long and slightly more complex and structured finale. (10/2019)

92   Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is another success this year, delivering inviting aromas of citrus zest, crisp green apple, white flowers and oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, with good depth and tension, it’s one of the more tightly wound, structured wines in the cellar.” (7/2020)

92   Wine Enthusiast
“A touch of reduction gives a welcome whiff of farmyard before pear juiciness takes over. That same generous, fresh fruitiness gets full rein on the palate of this wine. A midpalate texture of white citrus pith and chalk sets a counterpoint and lends structure. The finish is long and dry.” (4/2020)