n.v. La Rogerie – Familie Petit – Boxler, Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, Brut Nature Champagne “Lieux de Vie” (#2) Avize, France.
This exciting and deep Vieux de Vie 100% Chardonnay, coming a mix of vintages, with (a) ’18,’19 and ’20 base from very old vines set in chalky and clay in the Avize Grand Cru area and makes for an excellent Brut Nature bottling with a rich mouth feel, ultra dry extract and a luxurious but vibrant beading mousse. This gorgeous La Rogerie offering, which I had head about, but haven’t had before, shows off precise steely details and has a firm palate of lemon, apple, quince and white peach fruits, as well as a serious stony quality, white blossom, honeycomb, saline, clove spice and a hazelnut leesy depth. The Domaine La Rogerie – Famille Petit Boxler, which was founded in Avize in 2016 by François Petit and Justine Boxler, both from famous wine families, has become a must have with grower producer Champagne enthusiasts and their latest Vieux de Vie Non Vintage Blanc de Blancs is a gorgeous wine of depth, presence and elegance. Made from old organic vines that were planted between 1937 and 1961 with a massale selection of Chardonnay clones, with chalky soils and fossils that adds to the distinction of the wines here. A big thank you to my friend Alex Lallos, who has long worked with small Champagne houses, rarity grower fizz and top Tête Cuvée bottlings from the Grande Marques, and who shared this bottle with me and friends, he never fails to amaze me with his generosity and discoveries, and this one was remarkable.
Justine and François Petit-Boxler’s Domaine La Rogerie Champagne house is all about terroir driven Grand Cru vineyards, which are in the Avize area and extend to the border of Cramant and Oger, where Chardonnay is magic. These chalky vineyards are famously known for their tuff and ancient limestone soils made up of marine sediments, allowing for deep complexity, mineral toned flavors and purity of fruit. The Boxler’s are famous in Alsace and I’ve loved those wines for years, especially their stunning Rieslings, but I had known much about this project and or Francois Petit, who was born and raised in Avize and seems to have been inspired by the cult favorite Selosse Champagnes. Justine and Francois, who have recently moved into a farmhouse that has been in the family years, have immersed themselves in this project and the nature here, they carefully work the land by plow by horse and lightweight tractors, have eliminated herbicides/pesticides, and are using homemade organic compost. The goal of this pair, they say, is to encourage the natural growth and development of organic biodiversity in the vineyards and showcase the purest form of terroir. This absolute delicious non vintage La Rogerie Brut Nature Grand Cru Champagne “Lieux de Vie” Number 2 (only 155 cases made) was disgorged, I think, in 2022 after seeing close to three years on the yeast, it really impressed me and I can wait to explore the full collection of offerings and recommend grower producer Champagne enthusiasts search out these offerings, with this one being a great place to start.
($99 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive