Champagne Roland Boulard & Filles Cuvée Laurine Brut NV

The Boulards got their start by selling their grapes to big houses, or grande marques, but in 2010, they decided to forgo the negociant business and become a recoltant manipulant (RM), or grower-producer, instead. With two generations of three daughters each, they added three roses to their griffin family crest, and added the “et Filles” (“and daughters”) tag to the house name. Along the way, they spent considerable efforts cleaning up their existing vineyards and acquiring a few new great sites. Committed to sustainability and stewardship of the land, their 10 hectares of vineyards are certified as High Environmental Value level 3 (HEV-3), which is a rigorous certification few vineyards achieve. Some of their parcels are in historic vineyards, such as in their home village of Cormicy and neighboring Hermonville, too, and they even recently expanded to the Grand Cru vineyards of Mailly. The house was founded in the 1970s by Roland Boulard, in the village of Cormicy. The “et Filles” part is particularly important, as the daughters have always brought their strong female leadership and presence to the house. Today, Champagne Roland Boulard is led by one of Roland’s three daughters, Nathalie, alongside her husband, Benoit. They also had three daughters, all of whom work in the family business. We had the pleasure of visiting with the entire family at their lovely winery – twice now – and we can genuinely say that this family is the salt of the earth, and entirely enamored with their craft of producing stellar Champagne. This precise, soft, and elegantly crafted Champagne is named for Roland’s eldest granddaughter, Laurine, and bottled for the first time right before her birth. Four years on the lees, with a low Brut dosage of 6.8 grams, and an infusion of 15% of the family reserves into the blend – this wine is as complex as Champagnes three times the price. 40% each Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, with a final 20% Pinot Noir is the recipe, but the final result is some sort of magical alchemy! The nose on the Cuvée Laurine is abundant with golden apples, mirabelle plums, bosc pears, toasted brioche, and a little flinty minerality that envelopes the wine in an almost savory character. The fresh and vibrant palate is full of those wonderful autolytic notes that we all know and love, but still uplifting and tangy like a salted yogurt lassi, with some rainier cherries, and green apple with a sort of waxy texture. It’s deliciously good and a wonderful tribute to Francois’ eldest granddaughter. We made a deal as we were tasting it to get every last bottle still available… and they thankfully agreed! We’re over the moon to have this newest discovery to share – and one that you won’t find anywhere else in the USA!