THE WINERY: Born in Champagne in a grower’s family, Juliette Alips rapidly found her passion. With the mentorship of her close cousins, Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche, she discovered and learned all the ins and outs of producing champagne, from farming, to vinification, tasting and blending. Now, with the help of her two cousins, she is starting this new adventure with Domaine Les Monts Fournois. Located in the north part of the Montagne de Reims, in the sub-area called La Grande Montagne, the Premier Cru Les Monts Fournois will be the focus of the domaine.

THE WINE: Le Domaine les Monts Fournois is presenting here this cuvée after a rigorous and precise search for the best terroirs of Premier and Grand Crus in Champagne. With these wines we would like to highlight the real expression of a terroir, a varietal and a vintage. These Crus have been sélectionnés by Juliette Alips and her cousins Raphaël & Vincent Bérêche.

AŸ is the most historically esteemed Champagne village, for the exceptional quality of its wine. Sunny and chalky, AŸ reflects the junction of different soils, chalky and rocky, generally south facing. AŸ is a unique appellation with various folds, exposition and elevations in its landscape as well as its proximity to the Marne River.

After Juliette and her cousins select the cuvée by blind tasting with a broker, the family will purchase the entire lot of Champagne from the producer. Juliette will then proceed with a series of disgorgement and liqueur de tirage trials in the cellar using Rectified Concentrated Must (RCM) for its homogenous and neutral flavors, in order to highlight the terroir. Once the dosage has been made, the samples will return to the cellar for 6 months before being released to the market.

With fine autumnal notes, the balance is brilliant. The first nose is enveloping and reassuring. This AY is a wine of fullness. The richness of the Pinots Noir is marked by a beautiful maturity. The fruit is generous. This NV de Luxe reflects the great terroir of AY, the wine is generous, long and even salty. The finish is long, with a hint of spice.