The old vines in Les Riceys of Guy de Forez

The Champagnes under the supervision of Francis Wenner are intense wines that have great character, like this Le Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes Guy de Forez

Guy de Forez is a propriétaire-récoltant in the village of Aube di Les Riceys, famous for the quality of its Pinot Noir that excels for its aroma, structure and finesse to the extent that it is the only village in Champagne to have three AOC Champagne appellations, including the still wines Coteaux Champenois and Rosé des Riceys.

Thus one could say that Guy de Forez is a small domaine that is a step ahead thanks to a very valuable terroir but above all to the productive philosophy of Francis Wenner and his wife Sylvie Spagnesi (the daughter of Roland who founded the estate in 1959) that is the stylistic force behind the wines. The name Guy de Forez is that of a Comte de Champagne and Francis found it in the municipal library of Troyes. “Passion, terroir and authenticity” sums up the vision of the self-taught Francis had in making his Champagne dream come true with much effort and care and a particular eye on eco-sustainability, which began in 1990 and in 2012 allowed his 12 hectares of vineyards to be certified Terra Vitis® and in 2018 level 3 of HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale – High Environmental Importance, ed.note). the wine is made in a splendid 17th century farmhouse that has a cellar with suggestive vaulted ceilings where he creates intense wines with great character thanks also to not allowing malolactic fermentation.

According to Francis, the wine that best represents the Guy de Forez style is his Brut Tradition, in which the Pinot Noir expresses all its frankness without any of the frills from the terroir. However, worthier of honorable mention is an even more exclusive cuvee, made with Champagne lovers in mind. The grapes for it comes from vines that are over 35 years old and the wine is inspired by the austere purity of Pinot Noir and exalted by a special label created by artist Brunetto Catellani who sought to exclude the superfluous in order to depict nature and the vineyard in their deepest and substantial form. It is a label the renders justice to a Champagne with an intense personality.

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