Elise Bougy

Elise Bougy is a grower in Les Mesneux, a Premier Cru village in the foothills of the Montagne de Reims just south-west of Reims. An oenologist by training (Dijon), she spent years on the Paris side of the trade - she founded the wine agency Les Bouchons d'Elise in 2014 - before coming home to the family vines: her company took over the estate in 2016, and the first wines she vinified herself trace to the 2018 harvest. The estate is about 3 hectares - 2 in Les Mesneux plus a hectare in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger on the Cote des Blancs - certified organic (Ecocert, 2022), with biodynamic practices since 2021.

The cellar work is hands-off: spontaneous fermentations, full malolactic, elevage in foudres and barrels, no fining, no filtration, hardly any sulfur, and zero or near-zero dosage. The range pairs sparkling lieu-dit cuvees (Le Mont-Chainqueux 1er Cru, Chetillon de Haut, Les Coullemets, Sous le Mont Blanc) with a set of still Coteaux Champenois, all in tiny quantities - around ten thousand bottles a year per trade profiles.