Why it matters
The producer
Rare Pinot Blanc is planted alongside Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier at Champagne Philippe Fourrier, and the house makes a specialty Champagne from it. Julien Fourrier directs production. He selects parcels, works with reserve wines and dosages, and distinguishes vintage years.
The house combines family continuity with a range that includes both blended and single variety cuvées. The work stays focused on grape choice, reserve wine selection, dosage balance and the differences between harvest years.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Baroville lies in the Côte des Bar, in south Champagne. The vineyards occupy south and southwest facing slopes in the natural amphitheater of the village.
South facing slopes receive strong sunlight, which supports ripening. In sparkling wine, ripe fruit and firm acidity need to coexist, since the base wine gains a second fermentation and pressure in bottle. The Baroville slopes provide the physical setting for that balance.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range moves between blended cuvées and wines built around one grape variety. Reserve wines add earlier harvest material to a blend, dosage adjusts the final sweetness, and vintage cuvées keep the character of individual harvest years distinct.
Blanc de Noirs is made from 100% Pinot Noir. As a white Champagne made from a red grape, it appears pale yellow with matte gold reflections and fine streams of bubbles. The Pinot Blanc specialty Champagne is toasted on the nose, round and persistent, with saline freshness.