February 2026
Meet Domaine Rousseaux-Batteux
We will never play favorites, we would never pick a favorite producer, or village or grape. But, if we did, this Pinot Noir from a 0.2 hectare plot mid-slope in the Grand Cru village of Louvois produced by Domaine Rousseaux-Batteux would be at the top of our list.
Like many of the best of Champagne’s grower producers the Rousseaux's have been growing vines for more than a century in the Grand Cru village of Verzenay. A walk up and down the streets in the village will reveal to you the number of family members, cousins, aunts and uncles that are involved in making wine here. The family lineage to the vines that seems almost de rigueur these days is written in the family DNA but Adrien, a fourth generation winemaker, is anything but typical.
Adrien’s grandfather Paul bottled his first Champagne in the beginning of the 20th century and his father Denis created the current brand Rousseaux- Batteux in 1976. Adrien has been in charge of the estate since 2012. He manages 2.6 hectares of vines spread across Verzenay, Verzy, Louvois and Villers-Marmery.
Wine making is not prescriptive for Adrien. Each year everyone of his plots get exactly what he feels they need to perform their best. Sometimes he bottles in the spring and sometimes the summer. A plot that got new oak fermentation last year may see none the next. A plot that preformed very well may be better in a blend than on it's own. No one detail is the same from year to year or plot to plot. The attention to detail serves the wine at all cost. Some producers would go the easy route and follow a script, but not Adrien and we benefit from all of his eccentricities. The nuance it brings out in each wine is the reward for him and for us.
Though he does own plots in some of the most exciting Grand Cru villages in Champagne, that's not his focus. Instead, he focuses on making some of the most stunning single vineyard champagnes. The purity of fruit, expression of terroir and level of wine making are unmatched.
We could go on and on with superlatives about the person and the place but what you really need to do is taste these wines. Adrien is one of the most thoughtful, nicest winemakers we've had the pleasure of working with and to top it off, he creates some some of the most sought after champagnes in the world. We are so excited to share this bottle with you.
Learn more about Domaine-Rousseaux-Batteux on Cage Imports.
The Wine
Grab an extra bottle of Adrien's champagne from our Shop.
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Le Mont is 100% Pinot Noir and only around 900 bottles were produced. No chemical herbicides or pesticides were used and every trick to encourage biodiversity and healthy vines was used. No trip through the lineup of Domaine Rousseaux-Batteux is complete without this absolutely iconic champagne. Why we love it: This is the champagne I think about when talking about grower champagne. It's singular and finite and has this point of view with the soul of the winemaker in every bottle. The vines for this wine were planted in 1961. The Pinot Noir shows itself in a red brambly way and you can taste the power from the soils in Louvois. This champagne is absolutely beautiful. Don't miss Garth's One Bottle Review. The vibe: NCAA tournament watch party with your closest friends (though you'll need a few more bottles) while having fancy pigs in a blanket. |
Meet Agrapart Avize
They say what’s old is new again and that may not be more true anywhere in wine than with Fabrice Agrapart’s new project, Agrapart Avize.
If the name sounds familiar that is for a reason. Agrapart et Fils was founded in 1894 by Arthur Agrapart in the village of Avize. The tradition of crafting world class Chardonnay passed to his son Arthur in the 1950's, his son Pierre in the 1980's and then on to Pascal and Fabrice and has endured for over a century. Fabrice spent four decades as the force in the cellar crafting what is now recognized as one of the top growers in all of Champagne.
In order to leave a legacy for the next generation, Pascal and Fabrice split in 2020 with Fabrice charting a new path forward with his highly ambitious project Agrapart Avize. His decades of hands on experience, knowledge of the land and grapes have led him to explore what can happen when you have the drive of a young man and the experience of a whole successful career.
Fabrice is forward looking with an eye to sustainable practices in harmony with the vineyard cycles, staying laser focused on celebrating the terroir he has come to know through his work with the family domain. Along with his partners, Emmanuel and Johanna, Fabrice is building a new winery, hotel/ restaurant and a new legacy. This winery is a new beginning with 100 years of experience and tradition. His new legacy is being written brick by brick and on his own terms.
Despite the newness of it all, Fabrice is one of the most celebrated winemakers in all of Champagne and we can't wait to see what's next.
Read more about Agrapart Avize on Cage Imports.
The Wine
Don't miss your chance at getting an extra bottle of this champagne in our Shop.
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Atoma, is the first release from Agrapart Avize and is 100% Chardonnay from five Grand Cru Villages, based in the 2022 vintage with perpetual reserves started in 2020 making up 50% of the cuvee. The result is a rich expression of Chardonnay that leaves its youthful body behind and reached directly for the stratosphere. Why we love it: Here it is, the dream shipment. Not to say that this is as good as it gets but this is the baseline for how amazing the bottles will be. This is lush, rich chardonnay that tastes of quince, pears and marzipan with a great backbone of acidity and chalky minerality. Watch Garth's One Bottle Review. The vibe: Football game with all the salty snacks and a delivery of fried chicken. |