We’ve been big fans of Veuve Fourny Champagne for a while now. Their Cuvée R is one we’re always recommending, easily one of our favourite non-vintage Champagnes. It’s gratifying to hear that we’re not the only people to rate this house: the premier French wine guide Bettane et Desseauve has just named Veuve Fourny Meilleur Domaine de l’Année, Best Domaine of the Year. It’s a richly deserved award.
Vueve Fourny was founded in 1856, and has been family-owned ever since. The house is based in the premier cru village of Vertus, on the Côte des Blancs, where the family 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 the ‘tailles’ (the second pressing) is discarded.
Fifth generation owner Emmanuel Fourny considers that too high a dosage masks the intrinsic quality of a Champagne, so the house Champagnes weigh in as extra brut. At another house that could come across as harsh, but here the Champagnes are glorious in their naturally opulent, toasty depth. Being a Côte des Blancs producer, almost all their grapes are Chardonnay, but they do have some Pinot Noir that goes towards their blood-orange-and-strawberry rosé.
To celebrate the Bettane et Desseauve win, we’ll have three Veuve Fourny Champagnes on tasting this Thursday: Cuvée R, Rosé, and the 2017 Monts de Vertus. The Champagnes will be open from noon, and we hope to see you there.
| Vintage | Description | Cs Sz | Bt Sz | Cs | Bts | Cs ib | Cs inc | Bt inc | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.V. |  |
Veuve Fourny Cuvee R Extra Brut | 6x | 75cl | 2 | 0 | £225.00 | £289.84 | £54.99 | Buy |
| 2017 | |
Veuve Fourny Monts de Vertus 1er Cru | 6x | 75cl | 0 | 3 | £252.00 | £322.24 | £59.99 | Buy |