Champagne Bruno Michel is a beautiful story about family, history, and love of the land. The family's winemaking dates back to at least the early 1900's when Paul Michel created a legacy for his future progeny (there are still bottles in the cellar from 1924 that Paul made!). Fast-forward to 1985, and Bruno (the fourth generation) and his wife Catherine began the estate that now sits in the village of Pierry today, just a few kilometers south of the renowned Épernay. When they took control of a historic 18th century cellar, with hundreds of meters of damp underground caves that were carved out by the Benedictine monks, the domaine really began to take its shape. In 2016, Bruno's daughter and oenologist Pauline Orban took over the cellar alongside her husband Guillaume Orban. Since 1997, when all chemical use in the farming stopped, the winery has progressed each year towards maintaining the integrity and health of the land and the vines, and today is one of the very few certified organic Champagne houses. The team meticulously farms 45 small plots of chalky clay and limestone soils within their 17 hectares, in the Coteaux Sud d'Épernay (the east side of the Vallée de la Marne), with about half dedicated to Chardonnay, and half to Pinot Meunier. Their efforts produce remarkably low yields compared to what is allowed in Champagne, giving incredible depth of fruit to their 'house style' - which is nuanced and wildly complex, because even their NV Assemblée range of Champagnes is aged on lees for shockingly long amounts of time. Team blending for final mixes, low dosages for perfect fruit clarity, and large depth of vintages and aging bottles make the bubbles of Champagne Bruno Michel to be amongst some of the greatest 'farmer's fizz' that is available in the market today.
bruno michel 'assemblée' brut
chardonnay & pinot meunier The Bruno Michel ‘Assemblée’ Brut is the estate’s NV blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Once a vintage has been harvested, parcels and grapes are separated into vats so that the base wines can be fermented. For Assemblée Brut, a mix of the current vintage (vast majority) is then blended with reserve vintages and terroirs, dependent upon flavor profile, supply on hand, and an overall goal to showcase the Bruno Michel character of land and the fruit. In the spring following the harvest, the wine is stabilized and filtered, a liqueur de tirage is added when bottled, it is then capped and laid to rest for many years in the cellar for its second fermentation and long lees aging. Once the wine is deemed ready, the small team at the winery blind tastes the blend with different amounts of neutral sugar (no liqueur d’expedition is used) in order to determine the dosage while retaining the house style of terroir driven Champagne (there is no yearly ‘recipe’ for these Champagnes). The extraordinary result is elegant on the nose, full of pastry, quince, lime, almond, nougat, and pistachio, while the palate offers remarkable texture, rich with minerality, fleshy fruit, and vibrant lemony acidity. |
bruno michel 'assemblée' extra brut
chardonnay & pinot meunier The Bruno Michel ‘Assemblée’ Extra Brut is the estate’s NV blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier without dosage. Once a vintage has been harvested, parcels and grapes are separated into vats so that the base wines can be fermented. For the Extra Brut, a mix of the current vintage (vast majority) is then blended with reserve vintages and terroirs, dependent upon flavor profile, supply on hand, and the general Bruno Michel character of land and the fruit. In the spring following the harvest, the wine is stabilized and filtered, a liqueur de tirage is added when bottled, it is then capped and laid to rest for many years in the cellar for its second fermentation and long lees aging. When the bottles are tasted to decide when to release an Extra Brut, it is because it showcases balance and precision of terroir without the need for any dosage, is then disgorged, and only topped with itself to remain pure and bone-dry. The nose is sharp with lime and quince, and then opens into peaches, pears, nuts and flowers. In the mouth, the creamy mousse is dynamic with minerality, salinity, crisp apples, citrus, and a deep tactile texture that showcases the earth of the domaine from the clay to the chalk. |
bruno michel 'assemblée' rosé
chardonnay & pinot meunier The Bruno Michel ‘Assemblée’ Rosé is from the estate’s NV pink blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Each year, once the vintage has been harvested, the parcels of Meunier designated for this wine see the Saignée method and then is blended with the current vintage Chardonnay to begin fermentation in tank. Although it’s designated as none vintage, this wine in particular always comes from just a single year. In the spring following the harvest, the wine is stabilized and filtered, a liqueur de tirage is added when bottled, it is then capped and laid to rest for many years in the cellar for its second fermentation and long lees aging. Once the wine is deemed ready, the small team at the winery blind tastes with different amounts of neutral sugar (no liqueur d’expedition is used) in order to determine the dosage while retaining the house style of terroir driven, and beautifully fruited rosé Champagne. The aromas come out strong with hints of orange, rose, nectarine, and brioche, as the palate drives with creamy bubbles that are full of juicy berries, sweet spices, tangy citrus, and a stunning minerality that lasts for a very long time. |
bruno michel 'demi-lune' sans soufre
100% pinot meunier The Bruno Michel ‘Demi-Lune’ Extra Brut comes from a small parcel of the same name where the Pinot Meunier vines are about 55 years old. The idea of this bottling is to showcase the grape in its rawest form, accentuating the freshness of this noble grape while showing off its innate structure and rich character. Although from a single vintage, it does not wear the year on its label because it has not seen the mandatory three years on lees required for Vintage Champagne. After the harvest, fermentation in tank, and then a spring bottling with its liqueur de tirage, the sweet spot of aging on lees for the ‘Demi-Lune’ is right at two years having never seen any use of sulfites, and remaining diligent and able to showcase the clarity and precision of the Meunier. No dosage was added to this Extra Brut, and the result is stunning from even the first glance in the glass with its golden straw hue. Aromas of apple tarte tatin, pralines, fresh almond, and orange blossom lead to a stunningly vibrant palate while accompanying creamy effervescence. The mouth is loaded with voluptuous stone fruits, textural salinity, chalky minerality, and a lasting finish that pays perfect homage to the grape. |
bruno michel 'les brousses' premier cru
100% chardonnay The Bruno Michel ‘Les Brousses’ Premier Cru is an Extra Brut Champagne from this small lieu-dit in Pierry, and comes from only 40-year-old vines of Chardonnay. After fermentation of this plot in stainless steel, the wine is put in bottle with its liqueur de tirage and was laid to rest for seven full years before it was disgorged and ready for release. The small team at the winery left this aged Champagne as is, with no dosage, in order to showcase the remarkable drive and voluptuous texture of the fruit from the Les Brousses plot. The aromas fold out from this glass in complex layers, first offering fresh salinity and fleshy lemon, and wafting into a nuanced array of flowers like acacia and buttercup, tree-ripe pears, and hints of peppermint. The creamy foam hits the palate like a soft blanket, loaded with juicy tree fruits and luscious yet vibrant lemony goodness. Plenty of structure and minerality underline the complexity in the mouth, offering harmony and pleasant appeal in a sea-breeze-salty kind of way, all the way through a long and unctuous finish. |
bruno michel 'les roses' rosé de saignée
100% pinot meunier The Bruno Michel ‘Les Roses’ Rosé de Saignée comes from a small plot of the same name, located in the Saint-Agnan area of the Marne Valley. This lieu-dit is full of old-vine Pinot Meunier fruit, and each year it shows incredible potential for well fruited, and deeply structured Rosé. After the fruit made it to the cellar, the grapes were placed in a large vat and remained for about 16 hours until this rosé was ‘bled off’ to achieve only the most delicate yet complex fruit possible. Next comes fermentation, then filtration, then a bottling in the spring with a liqueur de tirage, and finally a second fermentation in bottle and a long rest on its lees. This Rosé aged for five years before disgorgement and was finished with only a small dosage of 2 g/l of neutral sugar (not liqueur) to help accentuate the pristine quality within. The resulting Champagne is stunning, full of rich aromas of sea-kissed red berry fruit, fleshy apricots, lilacs, and toasted almonds. The mousse is opulent and delicate at the same time, brimming with juicy white raspberries, lively minerality, kumquat, lime zest, and vibrant acidity that flows through to the finish, leaving a playful and joyful sensation in the mouth. |
champagne bruno michel 'les oubliées' pauline premier cru
100% chardonnay
The Bruno Michel ‘Les Oubliées’ Pauline Premier Cru is the estate’s top bottling of Champagne. In great vintages, the best of the Chardonnay from the Pierry Premier Cru (a vast majority being from Les Brousses lieu-dit) is harvested for this bottling, originally given its name from Bruno himself for his daughter. Once the fruit is harvested, the grapes are gently pressed and begin fermentation in 228L Burgundy barrels, where the wine continues to rest and age for over a year; as the Pauline is put to rest in bottle with its liqueur de tirage in the December of the year following harvest. This second fermentation and lees aging begins its long rest until ‘the forgotten ones’ are decided ‘to be remembered’ and released to the market. No dosage is added, so that the purest expression of fruit, vintage, and terroir can be present in the bottle when opened. The result is extraordinary, still fresh and remarkably vibrant in the nose, full of yellow apples, warm brioche, white roses, crushed seashells, and hints of balsa wood. A refined and silky mousse pour into the mouth alongside chalky minerality, lemon curd, pear tarte tatin, with delicious acidity and length that goes for minutes.
100% chardonnay
The Bruno Michel ‘Les Oubliées’ Pauline Premier Cru is the estate’s top bottling of Champagne. In great vintages, the best of the Chardonnay from the Pierry Premier Cru (a vast majority being from Les Brousses lieu-dit) is harvested for this bottling, originally given its name from Bruno himself for his daughter. Once the fruit is harvested, the grapes are gently pressed and begin fermentation in 228L Burgundy barrels, where the wine continues to rest and age for over a year; as the Pauline is put to rest in bottle with its liqueur de tirage in the December of the year following harvest. This second fermentation and lees aging begins its long rest until ‘the forgotten ones’ are decided ‘to be remembered’ and released to the market. No dosage is added, so that the purest expression of fruit, vintage, and terroir can be present in the bottle when opened. The result is extraordinary, still fresh and remarkably vibrant in the nose, full of yellow apples, warm brioche, white roses, crushed seashells, and hints of balsa wood. A refined and silky mousse pour into the mouth alongside chalky minerality, lemon curd, pear tarte tatin, with delicious acidity and length that goes for minutes.