It is fascinating to hear Emmanuel Fourny talk about everything he has to bear in mind as he blends his Champagnes. ‘Reserve wines or wines from the year, from cask or from vat, with or without malolactic fermentation, from lower or higher plots, plots exposed east or plots exposed south, older or younger vines, Chardonnay or Pinot…’ With his brother Charles-Henry, Emmanuel is one-half of Champagne house Veuve Fourny. His awareness of the complexities of blending is symptomatic of an attention to detail that informs everything they do here.

Veuve Fourny was founded in 1856, and has been family-owned ever since; Emmanuel and Charles-Henry took over in 1993, and are the fifth generation. The house is based in the premier cru village of Vertus on the Côte des Blancs, where they own and lease vineyard plots across some 40 lieux-dits. Their vines average over 40 years old. These are pruned short in order to keep yields low, and quality high. In the winery, only the first pressing (the cuvée) is used, and all ‘tailles’ are discarded. They completed a new chai in 2012, which has allowed for the parcel-by-parcel vinification Emmanuel loves.

For a Côte des Blancs Champagne producer, Blanc des Blancs is a natural expression of the range, but they do also have some Pinot Noir, which is used for their rosé. Dosage is kept low across the range, between 0-6gm/l, as Emmanuel considers that excessive dosage masks the quality of the underlying Champagne – and he is happy for theirs to shine through. (NT 02/10/23)