VEUVE FOURNY ET FILS

The attention to detail displayed by Emmanuel and Charles-Henry Fourny is astonishing. They are making some of the most exciting wines in Champagne and are emerging as stars of their generation. They now own and lease (from other family members) some 20 hectares of 1er Cru vineyards in the Côte de Blancs and all exclusively from the limestone and pure chalk soils of Vertus. They practice their own lutte raisonnée which is organic in the vineyards, and prune very short to restrict yields. Their vines average 40 years of age and the family have practiced selection massale since the 1930s. The vineyards are planted to 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir.

Only the first pressing (cuvée) is used, all “tailles” are discarded. All their wines receive a minimum of 3 years’ ageing prior to disgorgement and a further six months “on the cork”. A state of the art temperature controlled chai was completed just in time for the 2012 vintage, with lots of small cuves which enable each of their 20 individual terroirs to be vinified separately and allow Emmanuel to work his magic.

One important customer described the cellars as the finest and most beautiful he had ever seen and the resulting Champagnes are testament to that. The hallmark of their wines is freshness, elegance and purity. They dislike any hint of heaviness or honeyed characteristics and, such is the extraordinary quality of their base wines, that they do not feel the need to “mask” their Champagnes with excessive dosages – using only between 0 g/l and 6 g/l. Their Rosé, which comprises 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, is crisp, stylish and gorgeous. Their Non Vintage Blanc de Blancs is like top-quality Puligny-Montrachet – with bubbles!

www.champagne-veuve-fourny.com