The art of discreet savoir-faire
The Domaine has one guiding principle: in a terroir as rich and unique as Chablis, the wines are made in the vineyard.
At every stage, human intervention is kept to the strictest minimum, so that nature can express itself fully.
This approach first manifests itself through the work carried out in the vineyard, through restrained viticulture: ground cover, disbudding, green harvesting, working on the land to avoid the use of herbicides, and many other practices. Respect for the terroir is priority number one.
Vintage only begins when the grapes have reached perfect ripeness. The Grand Crus, some Premier Crus and the Vieilles Vignes are all hand-picked.
During vinification and maturation, the quest for absolute discretion goes on: fermentations only occur using natural yeast, and added ingredients are limited.
An alternative approach
As a pioneer and now a leader on the subject, Louis Michel & Fils made the bold decision to vinify its wines only in stainless steel tanks: this neutral material does not have any effect on the natural qualities of the chardonnay grapes.
This approach is certainly apparent in the Louis Michel & Fils style: our Chablis wines exude finesse, purity and freshness.
Louis Michel was one of the first in the 1960s to completely turn away from maturation in barrels, and to advocate the sole use of stainless steel. The Domaine’s conviction is that wood has no benefit to a wine that derives from a terroir as unique and expressive as the one in Chablis. Louis Michel & Fils therefore matures its wines only in stainless steel tanks. What better way to showcase nature than to let it express itself without any artifice?
Since the 1960s, this practice has become widespread, but it remains the Domaine’s signature, and Louis Michel & Fils Chablis is now a reference in stainless steel maturation throughout the world.
