Alexis Limar is proving to be a bright light in his exciting home region of Vallée de la Marne. A descendant of the Boulard family, who has been making wine since 1792, Alexis draws on his family’s long history of winemaking in La Neuville-aux-Larris and his own training at the Viti Campus in Avize, to craft wines both of tradition and of terroir. In 2023, the same year his grandfather retired, Alexis and his wife Jeanne set out to establish their own project. Continuing to tend the vineyards that once belonged to his grandfather, they work across 3 hectares of old vines, planted with the majority Pinot Meunier, and 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. They chose to bottle under a new name in order to reflect their distinctive winemaking philosophy — one that differs from their family’s previous generation in both approach and expression.

In the vineyard, Alexis tends the vines with respect for nature, using as little intervention as possible and working primarily by hand. Maintaining 11-different plots across the Marne Valley,  Alexis practices living viticulture without compromise: no pesticides or herbicides are used, and all vines are worked by hand to respect the natural balance of the land. Each parcel is vinified separately every vintage to best capture their distinct identities and terroir specificity. 

Alexis favors spontaneous fermentation without fining or filtration, along with extended aging on lees. Wines are aged for 11-months in barrel for the champagnes and a minimum of 18-months for the Coteaux Champenois. After that, the champagnes are aged in the cellar for 3 to 5 years after bottling. Across their three different cuvées, each wine combines precision and fullness, proper ripeness and a pin-sharp acidity. Their chalky texture, deep reductiveness and persistent finish reveal a wine that’s difficult to forget. With so much history behind him, the road ahead looks extra bright for Alexis and Jeanne as they continue to push forward the La Neuville-aux-Larris.