Stephanie et Vincent Michelet

Montigny-la-Reslee, Chablis

Stéphanie Michelet, the daughter of Jean-Claude Courtault, is second generation vigneron starting her own production with husband Vincent under the Domaine Stéphaine et Vincent Michelet label in 2008. We chanced upon their Petit Chablis at a quick lunch stop in Chablis and it was exactly what we were searching for in style and deliciousness so we got straight on the phone and arranged a visit.

Today their small enonymous label covers 6 hectares of Petit Chablis on Portlandien limestone and 1 hectare of Chablis around their home village of Lignorelles, 70% of which is 60 years old. The latter vineyard sits over Kimmeridgien limestone, peppered with fossils of Exogyra virgula, the comma-shaped shellfish from over 152 million years ago. You can see it on the Michelet wine label.

The viticulture is sustainable constantly reducing vineyard inputs. Winemaking is traditional with cool ferments in stainless steel and storage on fine lees in a mix of stainless tank, old enamel lined steel vats and some older large format barrels.

Stéphanie and Vincent have now taken over her father’s label but we prefer the Michelet wines thanks to their purity and crystalline minerality. The Petit Chablis shows cool chalky limestone minerality with ripe lime and grapefruit fruit and great tension.