Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne La Boloree Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France

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The 2007 Blanc de Blancs Roses de Jeanne La Boloree is fabulous. This is the first vintage I can remember where the Boloree is more interesting than the Haute-Lemblee, although that is a very fine distinction at this lofty level. La Boloree is made from a tiny parcel planted with 50 year-old Pinot Blanc, an extreme rarity in Champagne. The 2007 is a gorgeous, sumptuous wine laced with expressive tropical fruit, flowers and chalk. The wine shows tons of intensity and depth in a textured, expansive style that is totally irresistible. Disgorged April 2011. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Cedric Bouchard remains at the forefront of innovation in Champagne. Yields are minuscule, even by the most exacting definition. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts and are bottled unfined and unfiltered with no dosage. Bouchard is adamant that he wants to stay at a size where he alone can do all of the work, so readers should not expect production to increase in a meaningful way, at least not any time soon. There is a new Champagne in the works, though, a 100% Pinot Noir from La Proele, a tiny parcel of just 0.025 hectares (15 rows) planted with 10 different Pinot rootstocks. This is the same parcel Bouchard had used for his Coteaux Champenois Pinots, a project he has since abandoned, as he wasn’t happy with the quality of the wines. The 2007 and 2008 Coteaux Champenois Chardonnays are still in the cellar, but here, too, it appears the still-wine experiment was short-lived. I am not sure anyone will mind too much given the quality of Bouchard’s Champagnes. Bouchard plans to phase out the Infloresence brand by 2013/2014, once the ownership of the respective vineyards passes into his direct ownership. At that point, all of the wines will be sold under the Roses de Jeanne brand. Unfortunately the already tiny production is down by as much as 50% for the 2007 La Boloree, Haute-Lemblee and Creux d’Enfer because of hail damage, so the wines will be harder to find than usual. Furthermore, I was not able to taste the 2009 Les Ursules, but will report on that wine as soon as I can. Incidentally, 2010 is the last year Les Ursules will be released as a non-vintage wine. These remain some of the most spectacular wines being made anywhere in the world, and are well worth the effort of finding them. Frankly, I can’t think of too many wines I would rather drink.A Thomas Calder Selection, imported by Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404

The 2005 Blanc de Blancs Roses de Jeanne (La Boloree) is an unusual 100% Pinot Blanc (from 40 year-old vines) made from a tiny parcel measuring less than a quarter of a hectare planted to a dense 8,000 vines per hectare. The wine is quite a bit more focused and energetic than the richer 2005 Haute-Lemblee, most likely owing to the presence of chalk in this particular site. Perfumed and silky throughout, La Boloree sings with tons of varietal detail and impeccable balance yet it remains young (almost painfully so) and in need of at least a few years on the cork. This is an exceptionally pure, vinous Champagne to marvel over. Sadly, there are just 1,000 bottles to go around. The 2005 La Boloree spent 38 months on its lees. Disgorged: April 16, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021. The hand-crafted Champagnes of Cedric Bouchard remain some of the most fascinating wines to emerge from the region. I have been drinking last year’s releases over this past year and the wines have never failed to deliver immense pleasure. All of the Bouchard wines are made in a strictly non-interventionalist method. The organic vineyards are farmed to very low yields. The fruit is hand-harvested and the grapes are crushed by foot and fermented with indigenous yeasts. The wines are aged in stainless steel and are bottled unfined and unfiltered with no dosage. The estate offers two ranges; the Inflorescence wines are made from vineyards owned by Bouchard’s father, while the Roses de Jeanne wines are made from Bouchard’s own vines. These remain some of the most vivid, eloquent Champagnes readers are likely to come across and I can’t recommend them highly enough. Readers should note that bottles destined for the US do not carry vintage, lieu-dit or disgorgement dates, as that space on the bottles is taken up by the importers’ labels. I am told this situation will be remedied by next year, but in the meantime, readers seeking these wines should consult their merchant to make sure they are indeed receiving the current releases.A Thomas Calder Selection, imported by Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, Potomac Selections, Landover, MD; tel. (301) 583-8844, Triage Wines, Inc., Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 883-0543, Vineyard Road, Framingham, MA; tel. (781) 789-1662