95+ Points Jeb Dunnuck
"A wine readers should snatch up is the 2019 Cornas from Johan Michel, a majestic, full-bodied, incredibly seamless beauty that does everything right. It certainly shows the ripe, sunny style of the vintage and brings ample fruit, richness, and power, yet it still has incredible focus as well as purity and freshness. Black raspberries, cassis, blueberries, violets, bacon fat, and peppery notes all emerge from the glass, and it has no hard edges and a sensational mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. It will evolve for 15 years or more, and I doubt it will ever close down. Those who like ripe, sexy, yet still pure, focused, and flawlessly balanced Cornas should back up the truck for this sensational wine."
- Jeb Dunnuck (Northern Rhône: 2019s From Bottle, February 16th 2022), 95+ pts

95 Points Editor's Choice
"Sourced from two different plots, this inky, ripe wine highlights the variability of terroir within Cornas and the plushness of Syrah vinified with 100% destemmed grapes. The palate pulsates with rich, almost syrupy, flavors of black-cherry preserves spiked with granite, iron and olive tapenade. Levitated by black-currant acidity and framed with firm, furry tannins, this luscious, violet-scented sip should hit peak from 2024 through2040. - Anna LEE C. IIJIMA"

- Wine Enthusiast (March 1st 2022), 95 pts & Editor's Choice
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.
- age of vines 16-40 years
- soil type sandy with decomposed granite & rock

Vinification:
Manual harvest. 100% destemming, 3 weeks tank fermentation, daily remontage and pigeage. Malolactic fermentation in oak and aging on the lees for 12-18 months (2-4 year old barrels).
Sustainable agricultural practices

Expressive, deep, rich, silky and juicy. Well structured and round, it displays red fruit, leather, black cherry, liquorice and black berry aromas.

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 155 hectares; 382 acres) with an average production of 61,000 cases per year for the entire appellation.

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).