Cuis grower producer making Chardonnay led Champagne from Premier Cru and Grand Cru village fruit.
The producer
Champagne Didier Michel is a grower producer based in Cuis, a Premier Cru village in the Côte des Blancs. The Michel family sold grapes to other producers in the nineteenth century, then began producing Champagne under its own label in the twentieth. The named Grand Cru uses 70% Chardonnay from Cuis and 30% fruit from Grand Cru sites in Chouilly and Cramant. Made by the traditional method, it undergoes malolactic fermentation before its second fermentation in bottle, then spends seven years with yeast sediment before disgorgement. Its profile carries yellow apple, peach, toast, mineral, nougat and grapefruit.
Known for
Chardonnay led Côte des Blancs Champagne
Notable facts
Based in Cuis, a Premier Cru village in the Côte des Blancs, about five kilometres from Epernay.
The Michel family moved from selling grapes to other producers to producing Champagne under its own label.
The Grand Cru vintage spends seven years with yeast sediment before disgorgement.
Production uses the traditional method with malolactic fermentation before the second fermentation in bottle.
The story
From Grapes To Bottles
In the nineteenth century, the Michel family sold its grapes to other producers. During the twentieth century, the family changed course and began producing Champagne under its own label. The move took the Michels from supplying grapes to overseeing the finished wine and the name printed on the bottle. The house now uses the traditional method, with malolactic fermentation before a second fermentation in bottle.
From the atlas
Champagne Didier Michel
A Cuis grower producer making Chardonnay led Champagne from the Côte des Blancs, with a vintage Grand Cru aged on yeast sediment before disgorgement.
At A Glance
Detail
Fact
Base
Cuis, a Premier Cru village in the Côte des Blancs
Main grape
Chardonnay
Signature wine
Champagne Didier Michel Grand Cru, vintage 2017
Defining feature
Extended ageing with yeast sediment before disgorgement
The Producer
Champagne Didier Michel is a grower producer in Cuis. Its cellar uses the traditional method, with malolactic fermentation before the wine is bottled for a second fermentation. Malolactic fermentation converts sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid, while the second fermentation creates the bubbles.
The house's Champagne passes through two distinct fermentation stages before release. The method keeps the cellar work closely tied to the finished sparkling wine.
Place
Cuis lies in the Côte des Blancs, about five kilometres from Epernay. It is a Premier Cru village, while the Chouilly and Cramant sites used by Didier Michel carry Grand Cru status. In Champagne, these terms classify the standing of villages within the appellation, with Grand Cru above Premier Cru in the hierarchy.
Wines
Champagne Didier Michel Grand Cru is the named vintage bottle. Its composition is 70% Chardonnay from Premier Cru Cuis and 30% fruit from Grand Cru sites in Chouilly and Cramant. The seven years spent with yeast sediment before disgorgement exceed the three year minimum for vintage Champagne.
Lees ageing keeps the wine in contact with its yeast sediment after the second fermentation. This can build toasted and creamy notes while preserving the freshness associated with sparkling wine. The vintage shows yellow apple, peach, toasted bread, mineral, French nougat and grapefruit.
Final Word
The Michel family moved from selling grapes to other producers to making Champagne under its own label. Today, the house combines Cuis fruit with Grand Cru sourcing from Chouilly and Cramant through the traditional method.