Champagne Roses de Jeanne (Cédric Bouchard)

Celles sur Ource (Côtes des Bar)

Cédric Bouchard has quickly risen to become one of champagne’s talented wine producers. Working with some micro parcels, his wines are extremely tough to find and highly sought after. It was back in 2000 when Cédric decided to return back to Celles-sur-Ource in the Côtes des Bar, Champagnes’s southern enclave of Kimmeridgian terroir, where he was originally from. Starting with 1ha of vineyards, the main focus in the vineyards is to maximize quality. He farms organically, dramatically restricts yields and emphasizes picking at the optimal moment (with a team of 40 pickers). The domaine has grown by combining vines previously owned by his father and now farms closer to 3.5ha. In a region where blending vintages & vineyards are the standard, his philosophy is to craft single-vineyard, single-variety, low-pressure, zero-dosage Champagnes. In the cellar, each wine is made with the first press juice, fermentation with indigenous yeast, and a long, slow, cool maturation on lees. His wines are all very singular, taut, dry, and never shy to show their minerality. Originally having both the Inflorescence & Roses de Jeanne labels, all cuvées are now bottled under the Roses de Jeanne label from 2014.