Tasting Notes
Michel Gahier is well known for his fresh, non-oxidative whites, his oxidative whites and his pure, clean Trousseau reds, especially those from his ninety year old Grands Vergers vineyard.
However, over the past decade or more we have also been great fans of his sparkling wines, especially his Crémant du Jura made from Chardonnay (which is more likely to be the exciting Melon à Queue Rouge variety which is a variant of Chardonnay).
This year we have been able to secure some bottles of a wine which does not fit the appellation and hence has been labelled as a Vin de France. This is because there are appellation rules relating to many aspects of the making of the Crémant du Jura sparkling wines and Michel broke one of the rules.
He bottled the wine (for making the secondary fermentation) earlier than the appellation’s decree date, therefore he couldn’t use Crémant du Jura on the label.
Nevertheless the resultant wine has turned out to have very fine bubbles, a very deep flavour, an appealing saltiness along with a hint of sweetness without in any way being a sweet wine. This is a truly superb sparkling wine made by a serious winemaker. - Importer Note
Michel Gahier is a quiet, yet incredibly talented winemaker based in the small village of Montigny-les-Arsures, in the Arbois region. The Gahier family have been based in this town since the 16th century, and the family Domaine dates back to 1874. Michel, however, is the first in his family to bottle wine.
The village of Montigny is considered to be one of the best sites for Trousseau in the whole of the Jura - something that Michel takes full advantage of. He produces several different cuvees of Trousseau, from his youngest vines "Le Clousot," through to the very top of the tree, "Les Grands Vergers." This comes off 80-year-old vines, planted on graviers soil, and sits directly adjacent to Jacques Puffeney's "Berangeres" vineyard. Puffeney and Gahier are very close friends, and it's no coincidence that their viticulture and winemaking tends to follow the same philosophy.
Michel currently holds 7.5 hectares, all farmed organically, with the rows ploughed by horse, and native plants and grasses grown as cover crops. As Michel says, "the earth chooses the plants it wants." Like many modern-day Jura vignerons, Michel chooses to make vin naturel, - nothing added, nothing taken away. He only adds miniscule amounts of sulphur at bottling, and many of his wines see no sulphur at all.
Apart from his incredible Trousseau, Michel also produces a suite of Chardonnay and Savagnin - a mixture of sous voile styles, as well as the topped-up, ouille wines. He also makes small amounts of Vin Jaune, and a Cremant du Jura sparkling.
All of his cuvees are wonderfully expressive and full of energy. There is a real vibrancy to them, matched only by the wonderful depth and complexity. Not surprisingly, these wines are very much sought after. And with such low production, they never stick around long!
| Product Type | Wine Sparkling Imported Non Champagne |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Jura |
| Sub Region | Arbois |
| Winemaking Practices | Natural |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |