Any love for Jos Michel?

S

Saina Nieminen

Saina Nieminen
This is a property I have quite little experience with. One of the small importers here, Funky Wine Imports, started importing them a couple years back and I found them ('98-'00) quite heavy, but interesting aromatically - perhaps because of the strong presence of Meunier? But now I just tasted the most recent NV Ros and the 2002 Special Club and I liked them both very much. They didn't seem as heavy and ponderous as the previous releases. They were more elegant and crisp but still had the wonderful earthy aromas I have come to expect from Meunier. I liked them (no qualifications needed for this statement).

Any more experience with recent Michels? Are these two just a batch and a vintage that are anomalous to my previous experience; was my previous experience not the norm? Have my tastes changed towards appreciating weighty Champagnes; or are these less heavy than before?
 
i've been around jose michel champagnes for years and find the quality across the board very good and their price to quality is hard to beat--and by the way, on the contrary, i would never have described the house style as weighty. they are one of a very few producers to make 100% pinot meunier and it's a dandy--very lively. besides their regular brut they also do a vintaged blanc de blancs which is definitely far from weighty. their special club bottlings are really top notch, but a good bit more expensive than they were a few years ago (like all champagnes). i still have a bunch of their 1996 le club, and just last month had a 1998. rocking good.
 
I've had Michel's '98 Special Club twice and both times found it dull. Simple soft, spicy apple flavors and little nervosit. On both occasions folks commented that it tasted like apple juice with bubbles.

I've not liked many '98s though.
 
wow, first of all, that really doesn't sound like the wine i had (from a recent trade tasting in the company of gatinois, camille saves, lassaigne, moutard-diligent, jose dhondt, etc., my notes "loads of depth/complexity, will age"), and secondly, 1998 was a top-notch chardonnay vintage--from terry theise on the 1998 vintage, ". . .I had never seen such gorgeous fruit from Chardonnay in Champagne." the magnum of 1998 gaston chiquet blanc de blancs d'ay i had a year ago november 4 really kicked butt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top