Get to know Forget-Chauvet
Nestled into the foothills of Montagne de Reims, the small, unassuming village of Ludes is home to 318 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards and a rich winemaking history that dates back to Roman times.
While the Forgets’ origins can’t be traced back quite that far, generations of the family have been tending vineyards in Ludes since the 1700s, and the surname is a familiar sight on signposts pointing to wineries all over town. In 1936, Pierre Forget, one of five Forget brothers, married Cécile Chauvet of yet another storied winemaking family in Champagne. The pair began cultivating grapes on their estate, and, joined in the years that followed by their son Emile, the couple began producing Forget-Chauvet Champagne in 1950.
For more than 80 years, the family has passed along their methods and traditions. In 2014, Arthur Lelièvre took over the family estate, becoming the sixth generation to lead Champagne Forget-Chauvet. He made several transformative changes straight out of the gate, including discontinuing the use of chemical herbicides and making the switch to more sustainable farming practices. Ten years later, Arthur, along with his sister Ophélie, is eager to continue making a mark on the family legacy while honoring the traditions of its past.
The Forget-Chauvet domaine comprises 10 hectares of vineyards spread across three terroirs in soil that is predominantly clay-limestone with chalk. In Ludes, the family’s vines are planted among 16 Premier Cru plots on the northern slope. In nearby Taissy, the domaine maintains a single Premier Cru plot, northwest-facing with chalk-like soil. In a third village, Lagery, Forget-Chauvet owns a southwest-facing vineyard with rich, clay-dominant soil.
In general, Forget-Chauvet’s entire estate benefits from a cooler microclimate, which is ideal for their grapes’ prolonged maturation on the vine despite Champagne’s warming annual temperatures as well as the preservation of acidity and freshness that comes through in their cuvées. Finally, to coax the unique expressions of their world-class grapes, Arthur and Ophélie tread lightly in the vineyards, leaving space for nature to do its work and promoting biodiversity among the vines.
Back at their estate, the vignerons perform a slow-pressing technique with state-of-the-state equipment that preserves the quality and clarity of the juice. They allow the juice to ferment naturally without thermoregulation, a process that requires rigorous monitoring. And they choose to do this first fermentation and aging exclusively in stainless steel tanks.
These efforts in combination with the brand’s traditional vision for blending varieties and vintages, results in some of the freshest, most vibrant Champagne we’ve tasted. And we can’t wait to share it with you.
