Friday, 2 December 2011

Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

The Michel family have been growing grapes in Chablis since 1850, in vineyards which have been cultivated since the 11th Century. Emphasizing the terroir of these ancient vineyards and with a philosophy of bringing out the best Nature has to offer, they have switched to fermenting in stainless steel around 40 years ago to help ensure purity of fruit. Their Grand Cru holdings include the climats of Vaudesir, Les Clos and Grenouilles, whose wines are matured over fine lees for 18 months. Their Website suggests aging these wine for 10 years to show the wines at their best. A Taiwanese book suggest minimum of 10-20 years, with the capacity to age for up to 40 years!

The label above came from one of a half dozen 1991s, which I bought at the Club some 10-12 years ago. I opened a bottle not long after I bought them and the wine was not that impressive. I gave a bottle to my sister and forgot about them. The second of the bottles I opened was when the wine was 10+ years old and I then found it quite nice. A later bottle was even better. Now I've only got one bottle left. Should I open it now that it has reached twenty, or shall I keep it a little longer? The 10 years suggested on the website should perhaps be an indication of minimum length of aging for particularly impatient souls.

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