Country: | France |
Region: | Rhone |
Winery: | Johann Michel |
Grape Type: | Syrah |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
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
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.
Johann Michel Cuvee Grain Noir is made from 100 percent Syrah
This is delicious. Expressive, deep, rich, silky and juicy.
Well structured and round, it displays red fruit, leather, black cherry, liquorice and black berry aromas.
This Cornas is a blend from 2 different vineyard sites:
- 60% of the final blend is coming from vineyards located on the hillside (16 year old vines on the "coteau") which is planted on sandy soils, decomposed granite and some roicks, giving the strucutre, the spiciness and the licorice type of flavors to the blend.
- the other 40% of the final blend is coming from the bottom of the slope (40 years old vines on the "pied de coteau") which is planted on sandy soils, bringing acidity and balance to the wine.
Manual harvest, selection of the grapes, 100% destemming, 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 (2 to 4 year old barrels)
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 (Rhone 2021 en primeur, October 1st 2022), 96 pts
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:
"The tiny production 2019 Cornas Cuvée Jana is another gorgeous wine. More up-front and opulent than either the 2018 or 2016, it has a mass of blueberry and black cherry-like fruits as well as smoked game, bouquet garni, ground pepper, and iron. It hits the palate with a lush, opulent attack and has a terrific mid-palate, before the tannins build and clamp down on the finish, showing more loamy earth and mineral notes. It certainly displays the richer, ripe style of the vintage and has moderate acidity, yet the purity of fruit is spot on, it's beautifully balanced, and it’s going to keep for 25+ years in cold cellars."
- Jeb Dunnuck (Northern Rhône: 2019s From Bottle, February 16th 2022), 98 pts
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 (December 2022), 97 pts
Johann Michel St. Joseph Rouge is made from 100 percent Syrah.
The parcel is quite small : only 0.37 hectares (0.9 acre) hence the very limited production: 700 bottles.
The vines are only 4 years old. They are planted at 120 meters in altitude and at a density of 4400 vines per hectare.
100% destemmed.
Aged in French Oak barrel for 12 months.
Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels and aging on the lees for 12-18 months in barrels (2 to 4 year old barrels)
The average age of the vines is 25 years.
Yield: 33 hl/ha
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:
Anakota Wines Helena Dakota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Helena Dakota is defined by its power, structure and sophistication. It is an intricate Cabernet Sauvignon that reflects both the terroir of the site and the influence of the surrounding Knights Valley AVA. It possesses layers of plums, anise, cassis, leather, bay leaf and cedar. Galvanized by a streak of minerals and bold tannins. Helena Dakota is a solidly-built wine that stands the test of time.
This sloping, 12-acre vineyard runs southwest to northeast at roughly 750 feet above sea level. It features soft, reddish brown, gravelly, silt loam soils speckled with rocks. Prevailing westerly winds blow over a large pond and continue uphill parallel to the rows of vines. These cooling breezes slow the ripening process creating wines that are both powerful and balanced with red fruit flavors, notable minerality and graceful tannins. Pierre says the Cabernet from Helena Dakota remind him of Pauillac or Saint-Estèphe.
Fragrant, opulent, and complex, bursting with fresh blueberry and black currant, Crème de Violette, and subtle fresh bay leaf aromatics. The palate is luxurious and rich, perfectly balancing this wine’s firm structure.
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard explodes with violets, aniseed and cast iron, with a deep core of crushed blueberries and black cherries, evolving continually with each approach to the glass. The palate is stunning with its intensity and lift, pure fruits, pixelated tannins and focused acidity that drives the very long finish. Its exceptional balance and super pure flavors, plus that characteristic streak of iron that appears across the Anakota portfolio, really take the 2019 Helena Dakota to the next level.
-Wine Advocate 99 Points