Located in the northernmost Champagne village of Cormicy, “Les Rachais” is a biodynamically farmed site with 0.4 hectares of Chardonnay vines that Francis himself planted in 1964. For this 2012 vintage bottling, the grape were hand harvested and shuttled to Boulard’s cellar to begin a spontaneous fermentation (including malo) in old French barrels. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered the following year in accordance with the lunar calendar. From here, the wine matured for eight years, until disgorgement in July of 2021. A cork was applied without any dosage. 

When you pull the cork on today’s 2012 “Rachais,” please allow 5-10 minutes for the wine to slowly familiarize itself with outside oxygen before pouring it into all-purpose or Burgundy stems. A lively, frothy mousse is revealed in the glass, belying its 10 years of age, but as it settles, deep, evolved, vinous notes slowly roll out in the form of bruised apple and white pear, toasted almonds, honeyed pastry, salt-preserved lemon, and crushed wet rock. The palate is broad and fully textured with a lingering richness in spite of the zero dosage. Whereas “Petraea II” is more generous and crowd-pleasing, this is an ultra-savory and deeply nuanced Champagne for the thinking man/woman.