Skip to main content
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Toggle Navigation Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Your Cart

NV Blanc de Blancs Brut 1er Cru HALF BOTTLE

Veuve Fourny & Fils
Discount Eligible $42.00
AT CART MAX

The village of Vertus is famous for its Chardonnay—here the long hillside known as the Côte des Blancs takes a turn that gives vines planted on the slopes above the village a southern exposure. More sunshine is crucial in a region where the climate does not favor full ripening every year. The wine is crisp and fresh and delightfully grapey—a reminder that premier cru Champagne is indeed made from grapes.

Anthony Lynch

Discount Eligible $42.00
AT CART MAX

Technical Information
Wine Type: sparkling
Vintage: N.V.
Bottle Size: 375mL
Blend: Chardonnay
Appellation: Vertus
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Producer: Veuve Fourny & Fils
Winemaker: Charles and Emmanuel Fourny
Vineyard: 60 years average
Soil: Chalk, Limestone, .80 ha
Aging: Ages in bottle for 2 ½ years before release
Farming: Lutte Raisonnée
Alcohol: 12%

More from this Producer or Region

About The Region

Champagne

map of Champagne

True Champagne must not only sparkle, but also must come from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and be made using méthode champenoise—a process that involves prolonged aging of the wine as well as a bottle fermentation used to add the sparkle to the finished product. Though wine has been made in this region since at least the 5th century, Champagne as we now know is a relatively new creation. It wasn’t until the 19th century that sparkling wine production took hold on a large scale in much part due to improvements in the strength of glass for bottles and the embrace of French nobility of the sparkling wines of the region.

Only three grape varieties may be used to make Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The chalk-heavy soils not only provide complexity and texture to the finished wine, but also act as a natural humidifier thus keeping the vine’s roots warm during colder months of the year. There are grand cru and premier cru designated vineyard areas but unlike Burgundy, there are few lieu-dit vineyards (though in recent years there has been a greater interest in producing vineyard specific Champagnes).

Kermit’s first foray into the region came in 1981 when he began importing the wines of J. Lassalle and Paul Bara—two producers whose wines we still import. In the mid 2000s, Kermit began importing the wines of Veuve Fourny et Fils.

Of Champagne, Kermit says, “You might be surprised to learn that I don’t like a goût de terroir to dominate the taste of Champagnes. If it dominates, you lose finesse. I want some, obviously—but only enough to keep things interesting.”

More from Champagne or France

Discount Eligible $183.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $143.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $103.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $188.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $117.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $226.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $50.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $88.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $107.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $314.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $282.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $162.00
AT CART MAX
Sampling wine out of the barrel.

When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:

1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.

Inspiring Thirst, page 174

Discount Eligible $42.00
AT CART MAX