Wine Advisor
Johann Michel, Cornas 2022
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Yohan Castaing
Entirely destemmed and matured in used large barrels, the 2022 Cornas wafts from the glass with aromas of dark wild berries, spices, flowers and carnal/animal-like notes. Medium to full-bodied, enrobing and sweet, it's layered with a fleshy core of fruit, velvety tannins and a long, ethereal and pencil lead-inflected finish. This is a stunning Cornas made from Saveaux, Patou and Les Cotes plots, with 40% of the grapes for this wine coming from the foot of the hill.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A well-crafted, textural and layered Cornas with aromas of dark berries, currants, wild herbs, earth and baking spices. It’s medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. So much concentration and focus. Poised and well driven, with a bright fruit character toward the flavorful finish. Drink or hold.
About the Producer
Johann Michel discovered his passion for wine while tasting old wines in Cornas with his grandfather and uncle, the famous winemaker Robert Miche. The first vintage of his own label Cornas was 1997. He is now at the Cornas farm 4.17 hectares, one of the smallest AOCs in France (only 288 hectares), located in Bayonnet, Les Côtes, Chaillots and Leonine lieux-dits of Saveaux. Although his current methods largely make up the grounds, Michel is interested in biodynamics and has begun to incorporate practices such as cooper treatments rather than harsher chemicals on the vines. Cornas AOC yields are notoriously low (33 hl/ha), which explains the concentration of the juice. His total annual production is only about £20,000 a year.
