Ludes Champagne house with a multi-village vineyard, stainless steel fermentation and a 2019 Special Club cuvée.
The producer
Champagne Forget-Chemin is based in Ludes, a premier cru village in Montagne de Reims, with a vineyard spread across 11 villages. Thierry Forget, a fourth generation oenologist, has directed the house since 1991. The cellar uses pneumatic pressing and temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation, with no oak ageing. Carte Blanche Brut combines equal parts Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay and carries a majority of reserve wine. Special Club 2019 is a vintage cuvée with floral, fruit and white honey notes.
Known for
Multi village Champagne from Ludes
Notable facts
Champagne Forget-Chemin is based in Ludes, a premier cru village in Montagne de Reims.
The vineyard covers 14 hectares across 11 villages.
Thierry Forget, an oenologist and the fourth generation, has directed operations since 1991.
The cellar uses pneumatic pressing and temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation without oak ageing.
Carte Blanche Brut is made from equal parts Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay.
The story
A Label Begins At Home
In the late 1960s, Edmond Forget married Denise Chemin and created the Forget-Chemin label. Their son Thierry inherited it as a young winemaker in 1991. Thierry had oenology training and became the fourth generation directing operations. The family label continued as a Champagne house carrying out each stage from harvest through bottling in its estate cellars. Pneumatic pressing, temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation, and no oak define the cellar method. A marriage founded the label; the next generation now runs the work.
From the atlas
Champagne Forget-Chemin
Ludes Champagne house with a multi-village vineyard and stainless steel fermentation without oak.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Village
Ludes, a premier cru village in Montagne de Reims
Vineyard
14 hectares across 11 villages
Carte Blanche Brut
Equal parts Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, with a majority of reserve wine
Special Club
2019 vintage
Cellar
Pneumatic pressing and temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation without oak
The Producer
Stainless steel is the chosen vessel at Champagne Forget-Chemin. Pneumatic pressing feeds temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation, and the house uses no oak because the vessel is intended to add nothing external to the wine. Vineyard work follows lutte raisonnée, with plowing between rows where appropriate and pesticides eschewed. The house holds HVE Level 3 certification and searches for wines of pleasure, generosity, and a vinous character.
Thierry Forget brings oenology training to the direction of the house. Forget-Chemin works from its own cellars, carrying out the production process from harvest through bottling.
Place
Ludes is a premier cru village in Montagne de Reims. The vineyard extends through villages in the Vallée de la Marne as well as places such as Mailly-Champagne and Verzenay. Champagne village names identify commune origin, while this house works with fruit from several communes. The vineyard extends through 11 villages, with Ludes as its home base.
Wines
Carte Blanche Brut is the reserve led house blend. Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay appear in equal parts, and the cuvée usually contains a majority of reserve wine, with as little as 30 percent from the most recent harvest. Reserve wine helps moderate the effect of one harvest on the finished blend.
Special Club 2019 is the vintage cuvée in the range. It underwent alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The 2019 vintage comes from a sunny year and is powerful.
In The Glass
Carte Blanche opens with floral notes, then carries freshness and length through the palate, finishing with a slight nervousness. Its balanced shape keeps the wine moving from the first aroma through the finish.
Special Club 2019 has an intense bouquet of flowers, fruit, and white honey. The palate begins broad and fresh, with generous texture and a saline finish. The wine combines the richness of its vintage with a firm line through the close.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Champagne Forget-Chemin Special Club Brut 2019. This is the vintage cuvée, with alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. It gives a single vintage in place of Carte Blanche's reserve led blend, while keeping the house's chosen cellar vessel at the centre of the bottle's production.
Final Word
Edmond Forget married Denise Chemin in the late 1960s and created the Forget-Chemin label. Thierry Forget, the fourth generation, has directed operations since 1991.