Elise Bougy is part of a new wave of Champagne growers rethinking the region from the ground up. After returning to her native Les Mesneux in 2016 to take over her family's estate, she transitioned the vineyards to organic and biodynamic farming, earning certification in 2022. Her three hectares span 1er Cru parcels in the Montagne de Reims and a prized Grand Cru plot in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, including a cherished family holding on pure chalk soils. With minimal intervention in the cellar and a fierce devotion to site expression, Bougy crafts Champagnes that are vibrant, tense, and resolutely alive.
Chétillon de Haut is Bougy's Blanc de Blancs from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, 100% chardonnay from a single parcel whose name derives from "Châtillon," meaning castle or fortified place. The terroir is chalk crossed by silt-chalk colluvions, giving the wine its pronounced mineral character. It is aged for ten months, partly in 600-liter demi-muids and partly in stainless steel, then bottled under cork for secondary fermentation and extended lees aging. With this release, Chétillon de Haut moves from a vintage bottling to an NV cuvée, drawing on reserve wines Bougy has been building since taking over the estate. No dosage.
Powerful and structured, with saline minerality and bracing acidity typical of Mesnil's chalk soils. Wet stone, lemon curd, and ocean spray, with a slightly oxidative edge that lends richness without masking the precision.
