Bouzy

Bouzy occupies the southern face of the eastern Montagne de Reims, on slopes that turn directly south and produce some of the ripest Pinot Noir in Champagne. The village's name carries unusual weight: long before sparkling Champagne became the regional identity, Bouzy was the source of a structured still red, the Bouzy Rouge, prized at the French royal court and famous enough that the term came to stand in for the broader category of Marne reds. The Brice family specialised in still red production through the early twentieth century, and a small fraction of the vineyard area is still reserved for the wine today, producing around 45,000 bottles in a good year under the Coteaux Champenois appellation. Pinot Noir overwhelmingly dominates the plantings on the same chalk-and-clay terroir that defines the eastern face of the Montagne.