ELISE BOUGY
Les Mesneux
Champagne
Elise Bougy is a young oenologist, grower and winemaker whose aim is to restore the biodiversity and harmony of the terroir in her native Champagne. After a number of years of studying in Dijon she returned to Champagne moved by her quest to expand new horizons and do something meaningful for her land. Drove by this passion she took over the small family estate in 2016, in a village called Les Mesneux.
The vineyards extend from Les Mesneux in the Montagne de Reims department to the renowned Grand Cru Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Having been busy converting the estate to organic for the past five years, and after the introduction of biodynamic practices from 2021, Elise was delighted to finally receive her organic certification earlier this year.
With the 2023 release, a notable addition is Les Coullemets, a small plot located at the bottom of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. This vineyard, characterised by pure chalk soils, imparts the mineral character and tension typical of the Grand Cru. Historically, this parcel belonged to Elise's grandmother, Marie-Louise Moriset, and has been carefully preserved within the family for all these years.
Additionally, a new range of two wines, labelled as Hors-Norme Vibration (which translates as "outside the norm" or "exceptional"), makes its debut. This collection seeks to capture the "vibration" of Elise's iconic parcels, Le Mont-Chainqueux and Chétillon de Haut, respectively. Both Vibration cuvées are produced from the finest grapes of each vineyard from the 2018 vintage and undergo nearly four years of lees ageing in the bottle. Furthermore, they are released with a minimum of an additional six months in bottle after disgorgement, featuring hand-painted labels with a unique brushstroke that signifies the time and rarity associated with these wines.
Les Mesneux 1er Cru, Le Mont Chainqueux
Vintage 2020
Style Sparkling
Region Montagne de Reims, Champagne
Varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
ABV 12.5%
Soils Sand, Chalk, Clay, Limestone
Farming Organic, Biodynamic practices
Winemaking The vines here were planted by Elise’s grandparents in 1965 and cover both the lower and top portion of this tiny plot. Spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic. The wine was aged for 8 months in a mixture of foudre and 228L barrels. The wine spent 20 month on lees in bottle before being disgorged. No dosage.
Tasting Note This blanc de noirs offers a fragrant nose packed with red berry fruits and citrus. The presence of chalk in the top end of the slope contributes to the structure and depth of the wine.
Le Mesnil sur Oger Grand Cru, Chétillon de Haut
Vintage 2020
Style Sparkling
Region Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Chalk, Loose Limestone-chalk Conglomerates
Farming Organic, Biodynamic practices
Winemaking Spontaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentations followed by ten months of ageing in
600-litre demi-muid. Tirage followed in the summer of 2021 and, after a couple of years on lees in bottle it was disgorged (no dosage) early 2023 for release in the summer of the same year.
Tasting Note This gorgeous blanc de blancs from the iconic Mesnil-sur-Oger shows all the power and finesse you’d expect from a Grand Cru Champagne. Good weight of the fruit on the palate sustained by a savoury quality on the finish, typical of the chalky soils.
Le Mesnil sur Oger Grand Cru, Les Coullemets
Vintage 2019
Style Sparkling
Region Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Chalk, Loose Limestone-chalk Conglomerates
Farming Organic, Biodynamic practices
Winemaking From a new, small lieux dit formerly of Elise’s grandmother, Les Coullemets is a low-yielding single plot within the celebrated Mesnil-sur-Oger grand cru, precisely located at the bottom of the village. It is vinified entirely in 600-litre demi-muid and aged in the same vessel for 15 month before transferring to bottle the secondary fermentation. Here it spends a further couple of years under a cork stopper, allowing for a delicate yet extremely attractive oxidation. Disgorged without dosage and a minimum of 6 months ahead of release.
Tasting Note The pure chalk soils really shine through here giving the wine incredible mineral depth and lovely tension typical of the Grand Cru. The nose reveals aromas of ripe pear and delicate notes of honey. On the attack is fresh but develops quickly into a layered, saline and complex wine. Finishes long and refreshing.
Les Mesneux 1er Cru, Vibration MX18
Vintage 2018
Style Sparkling
Region Montagne de Reims, Champagne
Varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
ABV 12.5%
Soils Sand, Chalk, Clay, Limestone
Farming Organic, Biodynamic practices
Winemaking «Vibrational energy is a feeling linked to a person, a plot or a wine». In this case we have a return to Elise’s first harvest (2018) where the very finest bunches of grapes from the heart of Le Mont Chainqueux were selected to give birth to the inaugural release of the Vibration range alongside ML18 (see next wine). Vinified and aged for 8 months in a 600L barrel. The wine is then transferred to bottle where it continues its lees ageing for 44 months under natural cork. Disgorged in December 2022, no dosage. 759 bottles produced.
Tasting Note
Le Mesnil sur Oger Grand Cru, Vibration ML18
Vintage 2018
Style Sparkling
Region Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12.5%
Soils Chalk, Loose Limestone-chalk Conglomerates
Farming Organic, Biodynamic practices
Winemaking «Vibrational energy is a feeling linked to a person, a plot or a wine». In this case we have a return to Elise’s first harvest (2018) where the very finest bunches of grapes from the heart of Chetillon de Haut were selected to give birth to the inaugural release of the Vibration range, alongside MX18 (see previous wine). Vinified and aged in one 600L demi-muid and one 300L barrel. After ten months the wine moves to bottle where it continues its lees ageing for 42 months under natual cork. Disgorged in December 2022, no dosage. 637 bottles produced.
Tasting Note
Coteaux Champenois, Sauver Ma Peau
Vintage 2021
Style Orange
Region Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV 12%
Soils Chalk, Loose Limestone-chalk Conglomerates
Farming Organic, Biodynamic practices
Winemaking This new Coteaux Champenois is an hommage to Chardonnay and one of Elise’s favorite songs “Sauver ma Peau” (literaly “saved my skin”). As such it is vinified with a short maceration in an old Burgundy barrel.
Tasting Note
Coteaux Champenois, Oser le Rosé
Vintage 2021
Style Rosé
Region Montagne de Reims, Champagne
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV 12%
Soils Sand, Chalk, Clay, Limestone
Farming Organic, Biodynamic practices
Winemaking Pinot Noir comes from the higher portion of Le Mont Chainqueux vineayrd, where the soils are mostly sandy covering layers of
clay and limestone. A short and delicate maceration (just a few hours) is followed by a year ageing in a 228L pièce bourguignonne.
Tasting Note