Guillaume Michaut’s grandfather championed, and helped define, the AOC of Chablis; Guillaume himself is working in radically different ways to preserve the appellation’s treasures for generations to come.

We are perpetually on the hunt for fine white Burgundy, and Chablis in particular has so much to offer — clean, chiseled structure; intricate minerality; subtle fruit flavors; endless versatility. And when we were offered a pour of Guillaume’s range of Chablis, we were impressed not just with the wines themselves (elegant, refreshing, richly textured), but with the overarching philosophy of the domaine.

If you look at a bottle of his wine, you might notice that his name is written in tiny font, dwarfed by a set of geographic coordinates representing the latitude and longitude of his home village, Beine. Guillaume prefers to place all the importance on where a wine comes from, not the person who owns the land or works in the cellar.

He farms organically, working just one hectare of vines allotted to him from family holdings, and another 2 hectares of Petit Chablis added a couple of years ago. He works alone, cultivating the same plots worked by his grandfather and father. It’s a pretty simple concept, and a humble one — he wants to showcase the terroir of his home, the work done by generations before him, and his own hard work.

And the wines do just that. They are decidedly mineral-driven wines, with perfectly limpid textures that call to mind mineral water. The acidity and the fruit are in balance. They are everything we want in Chablis.

The village level Chablis and the 1er Cru Beauroy are fermented and aged in stainless steel, with extended lees aging (this is what gives the wines their lush, layered texture); 1er Cru Côte de Savant, a single parcel within Beauroy, is aged in large barrels and has a bit more heft. They are all wonderful expressions of Chablis and its limestone-rich soils.

Guillaume Michaut, Chablis, 2022 $44.99

Guillaume Michaut, Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy, 2021 $54.99

Guillaume Michaut, Chablis 1er Cru Côte De Savant, 2021 $64.99