Emmanuel Fourny

The Climb

Emmanuel Fourny is the winemaker and co-manager of Veuve Fourny & Fils, a role he has held since 1993. At Veuve Fourny & Fils, the work is defined by timing, sorting, and the ability to keep each season legible as it moves through cellar decisions. Fourny’s record is one of continuity in practice — a long-term commitment to returning to the same standards and making them hold.

Today

Place remains central to the way Emmanuel Fourny speaks about the craft at the Vertus house. His view is direct: terroir has value only if the differences between vineyards are kept intact through the pressures of production. That position is stated plainly in his own words: “Kenntnis der Terroirs ist eine Sache. Doch sie nützt wenig, wenn am Tag der Ernte doch alle Trauben in den gleichen grossen Tank kommen.” The line describes a practical rule, not a slogan: origin has to survive the journey into the cellar if it is meant to matter in the glass. He also treats winemaking as a craft that carries feeling alongside method. For Fourny, the cellar is not only a site of technical work but a place where expression is part of the brief. As he puts it: “It is also important with feelings: To make wine is to make art.” The statement is spare, but it lands on the same point his cellar work suggests: precision does not exclude expression.

Signature

Emmanuel's signature wines include Clos Faubourg Notre Dame, Cuvée R, and R 20 Ans d'Age. Together, they mark the house style associated with his name — wines shaped by selection, identity, and the kind of restraint that lets structure, texture, and time do the heavy lifting.

In Their Words “Kenntnis der Terroirs ist eine Sache. Doch sie nützt wenig, wenn am Tag der Ernte doch alle Trauben in den gleichen grossen Tank kommen.” “It is also important with feelings: To make wine is to make art.”

Recognition

Recognition includes Haute Valeur Environnementale certification. The credential places his work within a formal environmental standard and situates the house’s vineyard practice inside the responsibilities that now sit alongside Champagne production.