Champagne Boizel Six Generations of Excellence & Progress
In 1834, the Boizel house was established in Épernay, the heart of Champagne, by a family passionate about the region’s wines. Intimate knowledge of the Champagne region passed on through the generations, along with access to grapes from the finest cru sites, are the essential elements behind the Boizels’ elegant portfolio.
Like their artisanal Champagnes, the Boizels’ story began in the vineyards. Matriarch Julie Martin’s family had been grape growers since the 16th century. She and her husband, Auguste Boizel, built upon that legacy by founding their maison de champagne. They set an important precedent — men and women remain equal in the business, facing challenges and spearheading changes together.
Generations later, Evelyne Roques-Boizel bravely took up the reins in 1972 after the unexpected passing of her father and brother. She and husband Christophe led the house through many exciting innovations, including the introduction of the house’s first “Zero Dosage” cuvée. Today, their sons Florent and Lionel are the sixth generation to craft remarkable Champagne in Épernay.
Florent and Lionel employ the utmost care at every stage of winemaking. They oversee sustainably farmed vineyards in the revered Côte des Blancs and Vallée de la Marne, and source grapes from Grands and Premiers Crus across Champagne. Florent and Lionel taste each wine to ensure it encapsulates the balance and finesse expected of Boizel’s fine Épernay Champagne. They spare no expense and never rush, letting wines age in their historic chalk cellar under the Avenue de Champagne for a minimum of 3 years and up to 15+ years for the best vintages.
In the cellar, visitors can taste many of the house’s core cuvées and peer into the “Treasury Vault,” a historic section hidden at the far end, where each family generation has set aside their best bottlings. Some of these wines date to the 19th century and were bottled by founders Julie and Auguste.
Boizel Champagnes have earned major critical acclaim — including 90+ point scores from Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, and Decanter. The accolades are lovely, but the Boizels care most about crafting high-quality Champagnes that offer a pure expression of this special region. It’s what they’ve done for nearly 200 years, and what they’ll do for centuries to come.
Terroir
Boizel Champagne owes its finesse, in large part, to the region’s favorable terroir. Officially defined in 1927, Champagne lies in northeastern France. The continental climate provides plentiful sunshine (approximately 1,630 hours annually) to help grapes ripen fully, while its cool temperatures (10˚ C/50° F on average) preserve freshness. Champagne’s distinctive chalky soils are well-suited to growing sparkling wine grapes, as the high alkaline levels yield fruit with greater acidity, a key component of sparkling wines.
While the Boizel family sources grapes from across Champagne, they own vineyards in two highly respected areas: the Côte des Blancs and Vallé de la Marne. Located south of Épernay, the Côte des Blancs (“Hill of Whites”) is a 15-kilometer / 9-mile slope with a southeastern aspect that gives vines ample sun exposure. Perpendicular to the Côte des Blancs, the Vallé de la Marne follows the Marne River, which offers a cooling influence that makes for vibrant grapes.
Viticulture
Boizel is a Négociant-Manipulant; they own seven hectares / 17 acres of vineyards in the finest cru sites of Champagne, including Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. They source the rest of their fruit from local growers with whom they have longstanding relationships. They work only with chardonnay and pinot noir sourced from the Grands and Premiers Crus, blended with the best crus of pinot meunier. Boizel’s relationships in Champagne, coupled with their generations of expertise, allows them to select the finest quality grapes for their cuvées.
Each year, the Boizel family tours the Côte des Blancs for its beautiful chardonnays (Avize, Chouilly, Oger, Vertus), the Montagne de Reims for its great pinot noirs (Ay, Mareuil sur Ay, Tauxieres, Mailly-Champagne), and Les Riceys in Aube, and finally, the Vallée de la Marne for the ultimate expression of pinot meunier (Venteuil, Passy-Grigny, Vendiere).
The Individualized Approach to Boizel Champagne
Grapes are handpicked and crushed in the closest village on certified presses. Boizel uses the first pressing and maintains a low dosage to preserve the wine’s natural expression. In their newly renovated cellar, they’ve installed small, stainless-steel vats to vinify grapes separately by parcel and village, a process that allows Boizel to be selective when blending their cuvées. All wines are aged sur lie in their historic chalk cellars beneath the Avenue de Champagne for a minimum of three years, climbing to 15 years and above for the best vintages.
