Les Furieuses Coteaux Champenois Rouge AOC

Les Furieuses is a still red wine from Champagne, grown in an old vineyard where Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are planted together. In the glass, a lightly translucent ruby red; on the nose, juicy cherries and ripe redcurrants, followed by pomegranate and plum. A touch of stems, a hint of wood, vanilla and forest floor give the wine its contour.

Five generations ago the Waris family came from Finland to Avize, where the estate is based today; bottling takes place in Vertus. The nine hectares are spread across the grand crus of Avize, Cramant, Chouilly, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, along with Pinot Noir in Chamery.

Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grow complanté, meaning interplanted, in the same old parcel. The wine was not sulphured. Vinification has been in the hands of Jean-Philippe Waris since 2009; he trained with Benoît Lahaye, a pioneer of biodynamics in Champagne. In 2011 he converted all nine hectares, followed by Demeter certification in 2020. He relies on spontaneous fermentation in used Burgundy barrels.

Fresh and lively, carried by crisp acidity. The ripe, red, cherry-like fruit shows a light extract sweetness, with the stems flashing through now and again. Elegance, balance and depth are all present, yet this Pinot remains, above all, a wine for pure drinking pleasure. 12.0% vol., dry.

The old field-blend vineyard and unsulphured bottling give an unvarnished expression of this parcel. The Demeter logo appears on the label.