Champagne Roland Boulard & Filles Le Elegance de Julie Brut NV

Like many small growers, the Boulards got their start by farming their vines and selling much of their fruit to the great Champagne houses. In 2010, they made the leap to bottling under their own name as a récoltant manipulant (RM), or grower-producer. Across two generations, the house has raised three daughters and then three more. They are the three roses you’ll see woven through the branding, and the reason for the “et Filles” (“and daughters”) in the name. Their 10 hectares are certified High Environmental Value level 3 (HVE-3), a rigorous distinction few estates earn, with parcels reaching from their home village of Cormicy to a recent, prized expansion into the Grand Cru of Mailly-Champagne.

Founded in the 1970s by Roland Boulard in Cormicy, the house has always carried a strong feminine spirit. Today it’s led by the youngest of Roland’s three daughters, Nathalie, alongside her husband, Benoit. Their own three daughters, Laurine, Julie, and Ludivine, now represent the family’s future. We’ve had the pleasure of visiting the whole family at their lovely winery, twice now, and we can say with a full heart that they are the salt of the earth and utterly devoted to their craft.

This vivid Blanc de Blancs is made entirely from Chardonnay grown in the Massif de Saint-Thierry, the family’s home turf near Cormicy. It rests a full three years on its lees before release, building a toasty, layered depth not often seen at this price. The base is 2022 fruit (aged in stainless steel), with 10% reserve wines all from 2020 (aged in oak). Ripe Golden Russet apple, Bartlett pear, apricot, and jasmine lead the aromas, woven with warm brioche, anise, and an edge of crushed stones. The mouth is lively and frothy, with a creamy fizz that gives way to a briny oyster shell snap along with grapefruit peel. That salty thread carries through a long and acid-driven finish that effortlessly keeps you coming back for more. Crisp, bright, and impossible to put down, it’s a stunning wine that we’re over the moon to welcome to the shop.