Monthelon Champagne house with a vintage Chardonnay cuvée and grass cover in the vineyards.
The producer
Champagne Benoit Michel is a Michel family house based in Monthelon in the Côteaux Sud d'Épernay. The operation farms Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with grass cover and minimal inputs, and keeps stone vaulted cellars in Monthelon and nearby Grauves. Esprit de Cave Extra Brut is a vintage Chardonnay cuvée in the Extra Brut category. Its label names the grape, vintage and dosage style.
Known for
Vintage Chardonnay from Monthelon
Notable facts
The Michel family began cultivating vines in Champagne in 1847.
The house is located at 18 Route de Chavot, 51530 Monthelon.
The operation holds HVE and VDC certifications since 2019.
The story
Benoit's Cellar Handover
In 2004, Benoit Michel became responsible for the vinification of Guy Michel Champagne. He had learned winemaking from his father Guy before taking over that cellar role. Vinification covers the work between harvest and bottle, including fermentation, blending and preparation for the second fermentation that creates Champagne's bubbles. In Champagne, the base wine can then spend time on lees, the spent yeast cells that can soften texture and add savoury flavour. The handover placed those decisions with Benoit at the family house.
From the atlas
Champagne Benoit Michel
A Monthelon Champagne house from the Michel family, with grass cover in the vineyards and a vintage Chardonnay cuvée.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Champagne
Village
Monthelon
Main grapes
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
Named cuvée
Esprit de Cave Extra Brut
Defining feature
Grass cover and minimal inputs
The Producer
Paul Michel acquired the family's first vineyards in the late nineteenth century, and his son Raymond began making and marketing the first Michel Champagnes in the 1920s. Benoit Michel represents the fifth generation of the family.
The house uses grass cover and minimal inputs in its vineyards. Stone vaulted cellars stand in Monthelon and nearby Grauves. Grass cover leaves living vegetation between the vine rows, while minimal inputs reduce the treatments used in the vineyard.
Place
Chardonnay accounts for the largest share of Monthelon's 103.4 hectares of vines, at approximately 51%; Pinot Meunier accounts for 43% and Pinot Noir for 6%. The village lies in the Côteaux Sud d'Épernay.
These proportions give the village different Champagne grape roles. Chardonnay brings citrus, Pinot Meunier brings roundness, and Pinot Noir brings body and tannin. Monthelon is classified Autre cru at 88%, a village category outside Grand Cru and Premier Cru status.
Wines
Esprit de Cave Extra Brut is a named cuvée in the range. Its 2006 vintage is made from 100% Chardonnay. A Champagne made entirely from Chardonnay is a Blanc de Blancs, while Extra Brut is a dry dosage category. The label combines the grape, vintage and that dry style. Gault & Millau gave it 90/100.
Final Word
The Chardonnay cuvée is pale gold, with creamy bubbles, stewed peach, cinnamon and liquorice, followed by a slightly bitter, salivating finish balanced by good acidity.