" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Johann Michel Cornas 2021 (magnum)
No longer available.
| Country: | France |
| Regions: | Rhone Cornas |
| Winery: | Johann Michel |
| Grape Type: | Syrah |
| Vintage: | 2021 |
| Bottle Size: | 1500 ml |
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Johann Michel Cornas is 100% Syrah
This Cornas is a blend from 2 different vineyard sites:
- 60% of the final blend is from vineyards located on a hillside (20 year old vines on the "coteau"), planted on sandy soils, decomposed granite and some rocks, giving the structure, spiciness and licorice flavors to the blend.
- the other 40% of the final blend comes from the bottom of the slope (45 years old vines on the "pied de coteau"), planted on sandy soils, bringing acidity and balance to the wine.
Expressive, deep, rich, silky and juicy. Well structured and round, it displays red fruit, leather, black cherry, liquorice and black berry aromas.
Review:
Ripe black and blue fruits, violets, sappy herbs, and iron notes all emerge from the 2022 Cornas, a pretty, pure, medium to full-bodied Cornas offering fine, ripe tannins, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. The 2022 was completely destemmed and spent 12 months in oak.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Johann Michel Cornas is 100% Syrah
This Cornas is a blend from 2 different vineyard sites:
- 60% of the final blend is from vineyards located on a hillside (16 year old vines on the "coteau"), planted on sandy soils, decomposed granite and some rocks, giving the structure, spiciness and licorice flavors to the blend.
- the other 40% of the final blend comes from the bottom of the slope (40 years old vines on the "pied de coteau"), planted on sandy soils, bringing acidity and balance to the wine.
Expressive, deep, rich, silky and juicy. Well structured and round, it displays red fruit, leather, black cherry, liquorice and black berry aromas.
Review:
Vivid purple-hued, the 2023 Cornas offers notes of black cherries, plums, graphite, liquid violet, and crushed stone. It's medium-bodied, has a concentrated, focused mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, and nicely integrated acidity. It's a beautiful, ultra-classic, mineral-laced Cornas that needs 3-5 years to hit prime time and will cruise over the following 10-15 years. Drink 2029-2044.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Jana is 100% Syrah.
Black raspberry aromas, licorice, sizzled bacon and smoke. Elegant and pure with depth and well-integrated tannins.
Jana is the name of Johann and Emmanuelle's daughter.
Manual harvest, selection of the grapes from the "Chaillot" parcel, full clusters, fermentation in tanks for 3 weeks, daily remontage and pigeage. Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels and aging on the lees for 12-18 months in barrels (new old barrels) The average age of the vines is 11 years. Yield: 25 hl/ha
Review:
Dark purple. Highly perfumed, oak-spiced black and blue fruits, incense, vanilla and potpourri on the hugely perfumed nose, along with hints of licorice, smoked meat and mocha. Stains the palate with concentrated, spice-laced blueberry, cassis, cherry-vanilla and espresso flavors that turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Broad, polished tannins add shape to a strikingly long, smoke- and spice-driven finish that strongly echoes the floral and blue fruit notes. - Josh Raynolds
-Antonio Galloni's Vinous 97 Points
Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Jana is 100% Syrah.
Black raspberry aromas, licorice, sizzled bacon and smoke. Elegant and pure with depth and well-integrated tannins.
Jana is the name of Johann and Emmanuelle's daughter.
Manual harvest, selection of the grapes from the "Chaillot" parcel, full clusters, fermentation in tanks for 3 weeks, daily remontage and pigeage. Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels and aging on the lees for 12-18 months in barrels (new old barrels) The average age of the vines is 11 years. Yield: 25 hl/ha
Review:
Smoky black fruits, fresh asphalt, black olive, and peppery, meaty notes all shine in the 2023 Cornas Jana, a rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated 2023 that picks up violet and floral nuances with time in the glass. Coming from the Chaillot, Combe, and les Cotes terroirs, and vinified with 100% whole clusters, it has great mid-palate depth, ripe, building tannins, flawless overall balance, and a great finish. It's beautifully done and just another absolutely sensational Cornas from this talented winemaker. It's one of the vintage's most successful wines and needs to be hidden in the cellar for 4-6 years and will cruise over the following two decades. Drink 2030-2050.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Mere Michel is made from 100 percent Syrah.
Cuvee Mère Michel was first introduced in 2016 and is not produced every year. This wine is a tribute to Johann Michel' wife, Emmanuelle, and a nod to the French song, La Mere Michel. This wines comes from Selection Massale (replanting new vineyards with cuttings from exceptional old vines from the same property) cuttings of Serine off the 1947 Yves Cuilleron vineyard at Chavanay. The vineyards are located in the lieu-dit "Les Cotes" at an altitude of 230 meters and benefiting from a southern sun exposure.
Review:
"Only made in top vintages, the 2018 Cornas Mère Michel is a tribute to Johann's wife and a play on the French song "La Mere Michelle." Brought up in a new demi-muid, it's a richer, broader wine compared to the Cuvée Jana yet still has incredible Cornas style in its red, black, and blue fruits as well as notes of toasted spice, roasted meat, chocolate, and wild herbs. Rich, full-bodied, and opulent, it has a touch more upfront appeal and should be drinkable in just 4-5 years yet also evolve for two decades." -
Jeb Dunnuck (Northern Rhône: The 2018s and 2019s, November 19th 2020), 98 pts
In certain vintages, Michel produces a special cuvée named for his wife. The 2018 Cornas Cuvée de la Mme Michel comes from a parcel of Les Côtes that was replanted to a selection of Sérine taken from Yves Cuilleron's vineyard in Chavanay. Aged in a new demi-muid for 16 months, it boasts intense scents of creosote, cracked pepper and damp earth, but there are also notes of cassis, cherry and crushed stone. While full-bodied, it isn't as big or muscular as the Jana, showing a sense of poise and elegance on the palate, easily carrying the rich dusting of ripe tannins.
-Joe Czerwinski (Robert Parker) 97 Points
Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Mere Michel is made from 100 percent Syrah.
Cuvee Mère Michel was first introduced in 2016 and is not produced every year. This wine is a tribute to Johann Michel' wife, Emmanuelle, and a nod to the French song, La Mere Michel. This wines comes from Selection Massale (replanting new vineyards with cuttings from exceptional old vines from the same property) cuttings of Serine off the 1947 Yves Cuilleron vineyard at Chavanay. The vineyards are located in the lieu-dit "Les Cotes" at an altitude of 230 meters and benefiting from a southern sun exposure.
Review:
Made as a tribute to Johann's wife and a play on the song “La Mere Michelle,” the tiny production 2020 Cornas Mère Michel comes from decomposed granite soils and is raised in demi-muids. It's another inky hued beauty from this talented vigneron that has incredible aromatics of smoked black fruits, iron, liquid violets, and peppered meat. Dense, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, it stays focused and precise on the palate, with a powerful yet weightless style. It's a gorgeous wine that's going to flirt with perfection at maturity.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Product Description
Johann Michel Cornas is 100% Syrah
This Cornas is a blend from 2 different vineyard sites:
- 60% of the final blend is from vineyards located on a hillside (16 year old vines on the "coteau"), planted on sandy soils, decomposed granite and some rocks, giving the structure, spiciness and licorice flavors to the blend.
- the other 40% of the final blend comes from the bottom of the slope (40 years old vines on the "pied de coteau"), planted on sandy soils, bringing acidity and balance to the wine.
Expressive, deep, rich, silky and juicy. Well structured and round, it displays red fruit, leather, black cherry, liquorice and black berry aromas.
Review:
Bright and intense both in color and in aroma. Hyper-fresh, searching berry fruits, this is electric. Rounded, with plump berry fruits that are concentrated and fresh. The tannins are intense too, grippy and strict on the long finish. This is almost painful to taste at this stage, but should be excellent in time. Vines with an average of 35 years of age, from lieux-dits Saveaux, Patou and Les Côtes, all destemmed and then aged in two- to five-year-old demi-muids. - Matt WALLS
-Decanter 96 Points
Winery: Johann Michel
The Domaine Johann Michel Estate
Johann Michel is a self-taught winemaker who discovered his passion while tasting old bottles of wine with his grandfather. His first vintage was 1997. He works alongside his wife Emmanuelle, farming a little over 5.5 hectares (13.5 acres) spread between three AOC’s:
- 4 hectares are in Cornas, all farmed under "culture raisonnée" (sustainable method), in the lieux dits "Les Côtes", "Bayonnet", "Chaillot" and the parcel called "Saveaux" for the AOC Cornas. Yields are very low here – 33 hl/ha for Cornas Tradition and 25 hl/ha for Cuvee Jana. He also produces a special cuvée, only in certain years: “Cuvée de la Mère Michel”, a tribute to his wife & a play on the French song “La Mere Michelle”.
AOC Cornas is one of the smallest AOC’s in France (only 116.4 hectares; 287 acres) - 0.37 hectares in Saint Joseph AOC. Planted only with Syrah, Johann’s first vintage was 2016 with 700 bottles produced. The vineyard is 120 meters high in altitude with a density of the density of 4,400 vines per hectare. The Saint Joseph wine is made using 100% destemmed grapes.
Saint Joseph AOC is quite large compared to Cornas AOC, with a total acreate around 920 hectares (2,270 acres). The quality of the soils can be very different from one part to the appellation to another part of the AOC. - 1 hectare in Saint Peray, planted with Marsanne and Roussanne. His parcels are located at the extreme South of the Saint Peray AOC (a few meters away from the border with the Cornas AOC). Johann makes 2 cuvées of Saint Peray: Saint Peray Blanc (a blend of 50% Roussanne and 50% Marsanne), and Saint Peray Blanc Cuvée M (100% Marsanne).
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