Thierry Fournier
It’s been a long time, we shouldn’t have left you/without a strong wine to fête to.
It’s (still) August and apologies are in order. First to Erik B & Rakim, for the above travesty of a classic, and more importantly to you, member, for the late arrival of these latest selections. Champagne being a bi-monthly club, we generally endeavor to uncork new bubbles at the start of each eligible period, so you can pair occasion and effervescence as necessary. But we pretty much missed the last month of summer here. Right now, with the Olympics over, the US Open just begun, and the kids back at school, it already feels like September, and that’s kind of a bummer.
Fortunately we have just the thing to raise your spirits – Champagne! And not just any old label. The good news is that waiting for the exact right bottlings to sally forth has conjured Thierry Fournier, who checks pretty much every last Champagne Club box. A multi-generational family concern from the small village of Festigny in the valley of Flagot, in the Marne, they have been local growers since the 1930’s, slowly expanding their operation with each successive generation, specializing in the PlumpJack favorite Meunier grape. This is the first time their wines have ever been sold in the United States, and among the bottlings we are featuring is their first ever vintage release, the Millésime 2018 Blanc de Blanc. These are great Champagnes, at amazing prices from a very specific parcel of land, heretofore unknown to us (see below for more details) and we are very excited for you to try them. To mangle another aphorism from another 1980s icon: we love it when [our lack of] a plan comes together.
Salut!
The PlumpJack Wine Team
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Thierry Fournier Réserve Extra Brut NV |
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From: Festigny, Marne Valley, Champagne |
About the Winemaker: The Fournier family began making wine in the 1930s with the purchase of three-quarters of a hectare of vines. This was in Festigny, a small village on the left bank of the Marne in the secluded Flagot Valley, long celebrated as a cradle in Champagne for Pinot Meunier. Thierry joined his grandfather on the domaine in 1983, and began making the Cuvée Réserve. He also began to look for more vines and in the years that followed, the Cuvée Réserve became the Fournier flagship and the vineyard surface grew from 0.75 to just over 15 hectares. Despite enlarging the vat room in 2007-08, Thierry and Murielle, his wife and active partner in the estate, found themselves with less and less room to operate. By that time in their lives, however, they may well have continued with the status quo had not both of their sons committed to joining the family domaine in one capacity or another. With that came the resolve to make one final gambit: the purchase, in 2018, of a long-shuttered cooperative winery in Cuis, built between the wars with a plethora of space deep underground, the capacity to move wine by gravity, and the ideal storage for aging wine en tirage. In 2023, fully renovated, the facility opened its doors just in time to receive the harvest. The sons are Julien and Maxime. Julien joined the domaine full time in 2020 after completing his winemaking and viticulture studies. Maxime, the older brother, is on hand for major vineyard and cellar operations when he’s not flying long-haul routes as a pilot for Air France. Of the 15 hectares of vines, seven are in the family base of Festigny. This is in the small valley of Flagot, behind the first row of hills flanking the Marne to the south. It’s warmer here than in the greater Marne Valley and the soils are chalkier, making it ideal for Meunier. Moreover, its amphitheater-like shape gives its vines exposure to the north, south and east. Assemblage/Vinification: Deep clay soils overtop Champagne’s campanian chalk. 37 acres of vines averaging 45 years of age. Hand harvested. Viticulture is certified HVE (High Environmental Value) and VDC (Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne) and nearly four hectares have been transitioned to fully organic. Blended with 40% reserve wine from a perpetual stock and aged on its lees in bottle for up to 5 years before disgorgement. The lot number gives the base vintage. 80% Pinot Meunier, 10% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir. Dosage: 5 gs/liter Tasting Notes: Beautifully mature, thanks to the lovely reserve wine. Full-bodied, chalky and long. “The bouquet wafts from the glass in a complex constellation of apple, white peach, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, a touch of hazelnut and a lovely topnote of meunier floral tones. On the palate the wine is crisp, focused and full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit, fine balance and grip, good soil signature, elegant mousse and a long, poised and complex finish. The extended aging on its fine lees shows very nicely here, as this wine is drinking with generosity today! Fine juice. 2024-2045.” - John Gilman View from The Cellar. |
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Winemaker: Thierry, Murielle, Julien & Maxime Fournier |
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Price per bottle / Price per case: $50.99/$550.70 |
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Suggested Food Pairing: Aperitif Grilled Salmon Summer Vegetables Mushroom Pizza |
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Thierry Fournier Millésime 2018 Blanc de Blancs |
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From: Festigny, Marne Valley, Champagne |
Assemblage/Vinification: The family’s finest parcels of Chardonnay, averaging 45 years of age. Viticulture is certified HVE (High Environmental Value) and VDC (Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne). Hand harvested. Élevage in steel over winter, bottled en tirage in April 2019 and disgorged in December 2023. This is the domaine’s first vintage wine, made at the wish of the new generation. 2,500 six-packs. Dosage: Dosage of 4g/l. Tasting Notes: Mineral with citrus and floral notes. Crisp and textured. “The wine offers up a precise and beautifully elegant bouquet of apple, pear, raw almond, chalky soil tones, brioche, dried flowers and incipient smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is crisp, focused and full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, refined mousse and a long, complex and seamlessly balanced, vibrant finish. This is an excellent young wine! 2024-2050” John Gilman, View from the Cellar” |
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Winemaker: Thierry, Murielle, Julien & Maxime Fournier |
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Price per bottle / Price per case: $68.99/$745.10 |
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Suggested Food Pairing: Crudite Scallops Sweetbreads in a white wine reduction |
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