2015 Domaine La Rogerie – Famile Petit – Boxler, Héroïne, Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut Champagne, Avize, France.
Another beauty from La Rogerie, and the talents of Justine and François Petit-Boxler, also coming from very old vines set in chalky and clay in the Avize Grand Cru area, this Heroine vintage Champagne is very hedonistic, but soulful, as only these top grower producers can seemingly can do with a luxurious elegance and mineral/stony terroir driven character. A bit more distinctive than their non-vintage cuvée, this bubbly has a singular vitality and opulence with a steely start that leads to an impressive concentrated and chalky palate of lemon preserves, white peach, quince and green apple fruits, along with toasty hazelnut, leesy brioche, clove, spicy flint, crystallized ginger, lime flower, oyster shell, a hint of rose, saline infused wet stone and citron oil accents, all seamlessly rounded with a energetic small beading and creamy mousse. The Domaine La Rogerie – Famille Petit Boxler, which was founded in Avize in 2016 by Champagne’s François Petit and Alsace’s 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.
Justine and François Petit-Boxler’s Domaine La Rogerie Champagne house, as mentioned in my latest review of their Lieux de Vie Brut Nature, 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 intense Extra Brut Avize Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Héroïne cuvée is, as noted by the winery, 100% Chardonnay from the 2015 vintage, and was small lot disgorged after many years of yeast aging, with a full 90 months on the lees in their cellar. I really love Grower Fizz and especially these racy Extra Brut (drier) Champagne offerings with either no or tiny dosage, so the discovery of La Rogerie has been a huge reward and I highly recommend them!
($85 Est.) 97 Points, grapelive