Jean Milan
Jean Milan is an historic family producer of Champagne in the famous village of Oger, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs. With a history dating back to 1864, the Milans were one of the original family producers in the region. Today, the fifth generation of the Milan family combines sustainable practices in the vineyard and the winery with respect for the winemaking traditions of their ancestors.
The Milan family owns 5ha (12 acres) of prime Oger Grand Cru vineyard, planted to one variety only: Chardonnay. The wines are generous and satisfying, with a mineral complexity and precision typical of Chardonnay grown in these great terroirs.
The Wines
Transparence Brut Nature 2019 Tech sheet | Label
Terres de Noël Brut 2017 Tech sheet | Label
Under the leadership of Jean-Charles Milan, the fifth generation of the family, the Milans own 5ha of Oger Chardonnay vineyards, from which a typical annual production is 50,000 bottles. In the vineyards, there is an emphasis on sustainable farming with particular respect for the natural flora and fauna. They have not weeded the vineyards for 10 years! The work in the winery is relatively traditional, with old, vertical presses used (see images below). One wine is vinified in wood, the oaky Grande Réserve cuvée, in a throwback to the style of Champagne made in the earliest days of the domaine. All the remaining wines, however, are made in stainless steel before bottling for the second fermentation. In general, the period sur latte (on the lees in bottle) is relatively short, in an effort to retain purity of expression of variety and place, rather than showing excessive autolytic notes.
As a village, Oger has a reputation for producing rich, generous, fruit-driven wines, yet with a mineral heart similar to that of neighboring Le Mesnil. The Milan wines balance these two elements to ensure accessibility and pleasure, but with a serious complexity and mineral depth which can be unexpected. The wines can be hedonistic, but paradoxically reward serious contemplation too.
While the non vintage wine is a blend of two years, the remaining wines we offer are typical grower style in their transparency and purity of expression: one variety, one village and one vintage. Terres de Noël goes further by coming solely from one parcel of vines. The Milan wines are object lessons in Oger Chardonnay.
The Oger terroirs owned by Jean Milan are: Beadure, Chenets, Gloriettes, Noyerots, Fausses le Pretes, Petites Haies, Pierre Vaudon, Vireuses, Crayères, Terres de Noël.
