La Boussole : A franco-german wine project,
to reveal majestic but still unknown terroirs
promoting the spirit of adventure
happily connecting people
The idea of making his own wine began long ago for Maxence Lecat, during his time vinifying in Oregon for the ambitious and impressive 00 Wines project. His focus had to be on wines that he loved to drink—fine and elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, or Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc—connected to places that held personal significance. Above all, he wanted to make wine in a place deeply tied to the people he loved, with charming terroirs in a region where he could envision setting down roots. As he believes, roots are what a tree needs to grow and reach for the sky.
In 2020, while working as a cellar master, vigneron, and all-around winemaker at Enderle & Moll, Maxence met an exceptional winegrower from Kippenheim, Thomas Kindle. Having heard of Maxence’s expertise, Kindle was searching for someone capable of supporting his transition away from the local cooperative to begin organic farming. Their connection was immediate, and Kindle’s Kippenheim terroir, planted with Chardonnay, was remarkable. Maxence was drawn to the opportunity to support a broader movement toward sustainable and healthy vineyard practices.
That first meeting laid the foundation for the project and naturally inspired its name. As a sailor and sailing instructor, Maxence has always been drawn to the concept of orientation—how navigation works and the crucial role of a compass in finding direction at sea or in life. Thus, La Boussole – the Compass – was born.
While still working at Enderle & Moll alongside the remarkable Manfred Enderle – an exceptional vine grower farming Pinot varieties on the vast limestone site of Frostberg in Münchweier – Maxence was given the opportunity to select a well-situated plot to begin his own Pinot Noir production, complementing the Chardonnay.
With these two varieties, he was able to experiment in a more personal direction, drawing from his past experiences shaped by Burgundian influences. Enderle & Moll provided a full natural wine program, and Maxence sought to enhance clarity and definition in the wines by refining key aspects of the process. La Boussole wines allowed him to develop a complementary and distinct approach to winemaking.
In 2022, he continued to build on this work, expanding with the addition of Chardonnay from Lukas Krauß, grown on the beautiful limestone soils of Osterberg in the Pfalz. This addition was both an experiment and a collaboration between friends, driven by Maxence’s desire to learn and further explore German terroirs.
By 2023, his working relationship with Enderle & Moll had come to an end, creating the opportunity for him to focus entirely on La Boussole.
Life has a way of coming full circle, and during this period, Maxence also returned to 00 Wines—this time as a winemaker-consultant for their projects in Burgundy and Champagne. Deeply involved, he personally oversees most of the winemaking in Burgundy, ensuring that the Grand Crus and Premiers Crus of the project are crafted using the excellent and original methods employed by 00 Wines.
La Boussole now echos Maxence’s accumulated experiences and the dynamic learning process of working with both Germany’s exceptional sites and the unparalleled terroirs of Burgundy and the Côte des Blancs in Champagne.
The first production trials consisted of one Chardonnay and one Pinot Noir from the 2021 vintage, named NORD and SUD, respectively—the two most vital directions when seeking a new path, whether at sea or in life.
On a deeper level, Maxence created La Boussole to embody the values of humanity and the spirit of adventure.
Humanity, because wine is fundamentally about human connection—between people, nature, and culture.
The spirit of adventure, because life itself is an adventure. It requires openness to the unknown, the willingness to embrace uncertainty, and the determination to respect and understand the ever-changing dynamics of terroir, the cellar, and the world. It is about taking risks, accepting failure, and trying again.
In an era of immense challenges—climate change, political and economic instability, and a growing fear of an uncertain future—Maxence remains committed to staying active and engaged, maintaining a clear vision of the life he seeks to create, and striving to bring that vision to reality.
