Les Mesneux, Montagne de Reims, Champagne, France
Élise Bougy is among the most compelling voices of a new generation of grower-producers reshaping the identity of Champagne. She took over her family’s three hectares in Les Mesneux in 2016, having studied oenology in Dijon and spent several years in the commercial wine trade. Her return to the estate marked a decisive break with convention. She converted to organic farming, completing Ecocert certification in 2022. She introduced biodynamic practices in 2021. In the cellar, she works without added sulphur during vinification, uses native yeasts exclusively, and releases every wine without fining or filtration.
Her vineyards are divided between two distinct terroirs. Two-thirds lie in Les Mesneux, a Premier Cru village at the foot of the Montagne de Reims. There, the parcel Le Mont Chainqueux — planted by her grandparents in 1965 — grows Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier co-planted on silty-chalk and clay-sand soils. The remaining third is in the Grand Cru of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, where three parcels — Chétillon de Haut, Les Coullemets, and Sous le Mont Blanc — are planted to Chardonnay in pure iodised chalk. The contrast between these two zones defines the breadth of Élise’s range.
In 2023 Élise was named a laureate of the Prix des Artisanes, an award co-founded by ELLE magazine and the LVMH Group recognising exceptional female artisanship. Her wines are tightly allocated and sought by the finest restaurants and collectors worldwide.
