Husband and wife team Justine Boxler (of Albert Boxler fame) and François Petit have married centuries of winemaking traditions to produce outstanding wines in a very short time. It didn't take very long to piece... Read More

Husband and wife team Justine Boxler (of Albert Boxler fame) and François Petit have married centuries of winemaking traditions to produce outstanding wines in a very short time. It didn't take very long to piece together what makes them so appealing – and why.

Their wines portray a riveting sense of place, like drinking through a magnifying glass into the historical heart of the Côte de Blancs. The vineyards (1.5 hectares) are in the Grand Cru village of Avize, home to masters Jacques Selosse and Agrapart. Vines are in the southeast Le Haut Moulin and northeast Chemin de Chalons, a vineyard straddling Avize and Cramant (Selosse bottles one of his six lieux-dits from the Cramant side).

Avize itself is known for power, structure and roundness, with a yellow-orange citrus tone and a graphite layer of minerality. But in the eastern vineyards, which run along the bottom edge of the coeur de terroir, chunks of chalk poke through the meager topsoil, giving even more cut and chalkiness to the wines.

François's grandparents planted in the 50's with selection massale cuttings, selling fruit to the houses, and only bottling wine for themselves. When Francois and Justine took over in 2015, the first thing to change was the farming. Biodiversity takes precedence, chemicals inputs have been eliminated, homemade compost and cover crops taking their place.

Perfect grapes are all well and good, but can be destroyed without a deft hand in the cellar. They employ traditional methods including vin clair in used oak barrels, extensive time on the lees, and even a solera reserve for the non-vintage wines. Upon release these already show the depth, elegance and finesse of artisan.