La Rogerie
While there are many long-established families in Alsace, La Rogerie is not one of them. It is a newly established domaine founded by a couple who did not limit themselves to a specific region, and it is run by Justine Boxler, originally from Niedermorschwihr in Alsace, and François Petit, originally from Avize in Champagne. The two each inherited small vineyards from their families, but rather than choosing a specific region, they cultivate both under a single name. From the Alsace side, there are Rieslings produced from the granite soils of Niedermorschwihr, Katzenthal, and Turckheim; these are certified organic and vinified separately by vineyard parcel. These wines convey a sense of tension rather than heaviness. The traditions of Champagne shape the winemaking style of Alsace, while Alsace's vineyards influence it in the opposite direction. Two regions, one aesthetic, two people at the helm. This combination is truly rare.
History
Justine Boxler and François Petit met in 2011 while they were students at Strasbourg. She grew up in Niedermorschwihr, coming from a family whose name is familiar to anyone who drinks Alsace wine. His family, on the other hand, had been running a small farm in Avize, located in the Côte region of Blancs, since the middle of the last century.
Both of them owned about 2 hectares of farmland, located hundreds of kilometers apart. The obvious choice would have been to select one region and sell or lease the other, but they took the opposite approach and established a joint winery called La Rogerie in 2015.
There were some twists and turns along the way. Justine went to work for a while in Vietnam, while François worked in London for an import agency, which served as a valuable apprenticeship that helped him understand how premium wines actually reach consumers.
Their first Champagne was produced in 2018 but wasn't released until four years later, and the couple candidly admitted how much of a strain this put on their cash flow. Most young winemakers sell a portion of their harvest to cover living expenses and use the rest to make wine. Since La Rogerie's vineyard was too small to offer that option, every single bunch of grapes ended up in their own bottles from the very beginning.
Expansion is another limiting factor. The small vineyards in the Côte and Blancs regions attract hundreds of buyers as soon as they come on the market, and François has made it clear that acquiring additional land in that area is nearly impossible.
Small parcels in granite villages
The La Rogerie's Alsace vineyard is located on the eastern flank of the Vosges, surrounding Niedermorschwihr, Katzenthal, and Turckheim, and covers a total area of approximately 2 hectares. In other words, because the vineyard is small, it is carefully tended on a plot-by-plot basis rather than managed as a single unit.
Niedermorschwihr is the home base and the central hub for the Alsace area. Katzenthal and Turckheim are immediately adjacent, and all three are located on the slopes below Alsace, which has long been considered the finest vineyard.
The estate in the Champagne region is of a similar size, spanning the villages of Avize, Cramant and Oger. These vines were planted by François's great-grandfather and grandfather between the 1930s and 1950s; some were planted using massale selection, and the average age of the vines is approximately 80 years.
Horses are used for plowing there, in part to protect the vines' ancient roots. Due to the age of the vines, yields are low, and both sections of the estate are cultivated organically using compost produced on-site.
The terroirs
Niedermorschwihr, Katzenthal, and Turckheim all share the common characteristic of being granite, mixed with limestone. This combination gives La Rogerie's Alsace Rieslings its unique flavor. It features firm acidity, a stony texture rather than a voluptuous one, and a clean, crisp aroma rather than an exotic, ripe flavor.
Geographic location also plays a role. These villages are set at the foot of Mount Vosges, where the mountain envelops the vineyards, and the slopes receive enough sunlight for the Riesling grapes to ripen fully without burning.
In contrast, the soil story is completely different in the Avize region. Here, the soil is the chalk of the Côte des Blancs, the classic Blanc de Blancs terroir. Although these two regions are geologically very different, they are treated with the same delicate care at the winery, and this is the very essence of this project.
Riesling first
The Alsace product line is centered around the Riesling, which is not merely a coincidence but the result of deliberate focus.
- Riesling: The foundation variety, grown at Niedermorschwihr, Katzenthal, and Turckheim
- Pinot Noir: A variety grown in the same granite and limestone soils
- Small amounts of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Auxerrois
- It is situated atop the chalk layer containing Chardonnay, Avize, Cramant, and Oger, located at Champagne
Champagne habits in an Alsace cellar
At La Rogerie, each vineyard is vinified separately, and artificial intervention is kept to a minimum. The wines undergo natural fermentation without the use of any additives. This is to ensure that the unique characteristics of each vineyard are fully expressed in the wine and to prevent the winery's uniform style from overshadowing them.
The aging process takes a long time. In Champagne, the cuvées are aged for a long time in oak barrels and bottles before release; one of these, the cuvée produced from the terroir stretching from the south of Avize toward Oger, is based on the Perpetual Reserve, a solera-style blend that is replenished annually Perpetual Reserve, which is replenished annually.
This approach is also applied to Alsace. The Riesling is made under the distinct influence of Champagne's techniques, which is one of the main reasons these wines offer a robust and refined flavor profile rather than a broad range of flavors.
Both lines are certified organic. Both lines are certified organic.
Three grand crus and a Champagne cellar
Alsace bottles Riesling, which is produced from three Grand Cru slopes, one located in each village, as La Rogerie. These are Sommerberg from Niedermorschwihr, Brand from Turckheim, and Florimont from Katzenthal. The same grapes, the same craftsmanship, three distinct interpretations shaped by granite.
Sommerberg is a Niedermorschwihr wine produced on the steep granite slopes above the home village; it is the wine most closely linked to the roots of Justine Boxler's. There is also Pinot Noir, produced in the Alsace plot.
The Champagne line consists entirely of Grand Cru wines, named after their specific appellations: There are Bourg cuvées, which are made by dividing Champ-Bouton, Chemin de Chalons, Haut du Moulin, and Avize into northern and southern terroirs. Production volumes are extremely low in both regions, a result of the size of the vineyards rather than a marketing decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is La Rogerie an Alsace domaine or a Champagne house?
Both, under one name. Justine Boxler and François Petit farm around two hectares in Alsace and a similar amount in the Côte des Blancs, and treat the two as a single project.
What is the link to the Boxler family of Niedermorschwihr?
Justine Boxler comes from that family, and the Alsace parcels are part of that inheritance. La Rogerie is her own domaine with François Petit, not the family estate.
Why is so little La Rogerie wine made?
The holdings are very small in both regions, and the couple have never sold grapes, so total production is limited by the size of the vineyards. Buying more land in Avize has proved close to impossible.
Are the wines organic?
Yes, both the Alsace and Champagne vines are certified organic, with compost made at the domaine and horses used for ploughing the old Champagne parcels.
