Cedric Bouchard Champagne
Inflorescence & Roses de Jeanne
The most coveted, and arguably the finest ‘grower’ Champagnes are made by two producers – Anselme Selosse and Cedric Bouchard. Bouchard apparently idolises Selosse – but the wines for which they have become famous are notably different. Whilst both Bouchard and Selosse have championed the production of Champagne from single vineyards, Selosse favours solera-style (multiple vintage) Champagnes, whilst Bouchard bottles wines from a single vintage and single grape varietal.
Both growers would claim -with justification- that their wines are a true reflection of ‘terroir’ in a way that only a handful of (incredibly expensive !) champagnes made by the grande marque houses can claim (Krug’s Clos de Mesnil and Clos d’Ambonnay; Bollinger’s Vielles Vignes Francaises for example). Furthermore Selosse and Bouchard shun the dosage of sugar which the grande marques typically apply to their champagnes, believing that heavy dosage is an application of ‘make-up’ which disguises the true character of the wine.
When tasting the Selosse wines, despite their individuality one often senses their solera and barrel fermented origins – there is a maturity and degree of oxidation which is characteristic of this style of production. By contrast the Bouchard wines, fermented entirely in tank (Bouchard believes Champagne picks up any oak treatment more than wine from other regions) are intensely youthful, vivid, fresh and crisp. Here you can taste Pinot, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc untrammelled by age or oak, with a laser-like precision. The wines can seem austere when first opened: Bouchard recommends decanting them and serving them from wine glasses rather than champagne flutes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the downside of these truly artisan Champagnes are the miniscule volumes available ! Renaissance Vintners are therefore delighted to offer a wide range of wines made by one of Champagne’s master-craftsmen – Cedric Bouchard. The range of wines from Bouchard, which Antonio Galloni describes as “some of the most spectacular wines being made anywhere in the world” is as follows:
- Inflorescence, “Val Villaine” A Blanc de Noirs made from a small single vineyard plot of 1.49 hectares of 100% Pinot Noir owned by Bouchard’s father. Annual production is around 8900 bottles. For individual tasting notes, please search for this wine here
- Inflorescence, “La Parcelle” Also a Blanc de Noirs, made from an even smaller parcel of 0.5 hectares of 100% Pinot Noir owned by Bouchard’s father. Annual production is around 2000 bottles. For individual tasting notes, please search for this wine here
- Roses de Jeanne, “le Haut-Lemblé” A Blanc de Blancs, made from a truly tiny single vineyard parcel of 0.11 hectares of Chardonnay, owned by Bouchard himself. Annual production is around 1200 bottles. For individual tasting notes, please search for this wine here
- Roses de Jeanne, “La Bolorée” A Blanc de Blancs, made from another tiny single vineyard parcel of 0.21 hectares of 100% Pinot Blanc, owned by Bouchard himself. Annual production is a mere 1000 bottles. For individual tasting notes, please search for this wine here
- Roses de Jeanne, “Les Ursules” A Blanc de Noirs from a small vineyard parcel of just 0.91 hectares of 100% Pinot Noir owned by Bouchard himself. Annual production is around 2800 bottles. For individual tasting notes, please search for this wine here
- Roses de Jeanne, “Le Creux d’Enfer” A Rosé made from a minute single vineyard parcel of just 0.032 hectares of Pinot Noir owned by Bouchard himself. The wine is made by the ‘saignee’ method in which the juice is allowed to bleed off after limited contact with the Pinot Noir skins. Annual production is 400-500 hundred bottles……..PRICE ON APPLICATION ONLY