Sourced exclusively from the Fourny family's vineyard on the Vertus cru, this sublime Champagne is a work of wine art. There's a beauty here that comes from the low dosage (less than 3g/L added sugar) and the pristine old-vine Chardonnay fruit (the vines are more than fifty years old), which is balanced out by the creamy nuances that come from extended ageing (at least eight years on lees). It's Champagne of glory, of power, but also careful weight, all making for a magnificent fancy wine.

For someone who is the head of a multi-generation Champagne house, Charles Fourny is a pretty affable guy. A regular visitor to Australia, he carries around chalk vineyard rocks in his luggage and rather enjoys Australian wines. Indeed, Charles represents everything good about the current generation of grower Champagne producers - real, substantial people who are farmers at heart. The chalky rock is important too - the Fourny vineyards dot some of the planet's most famous Champagne Chardonnay plots, surrounding the town of Vertus. Fourny's amazing old organic vineyards are a big part of why this small Champagne producer's wines are so sublime, especially when coupled with a pared-back winemaking regime that emphasises minimal dosage and fining and filtration. The only thing that doesn't fit here is the prices - the Fourny wines are unquestionably some of the finest value Champagne we've tried.