2017 Cedric Bouchard Champagne Roses de Jeanne les Ursules (Pre-arrival)

The 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is superb, mingling aromas of pear, mandarin and stone fruit with hints of fresh bread, pastry cream and iodine in an inviting mélange. Full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it’s a concentrated, chiseled Ursules that’s built for the cellar, with racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. While the reputation of the 2017 vintage in Champagne isn’t great, you wouldn’t know that from tasting this brilliant cuvée. As readers will remember, Les Ursules was the vineyard with which Cédric Bouchard began Roses de Jeanne, and he notes that of all the wines in his range, it’s always the highest in acidity, the slowest to ferment and the slowest to conclude its malolactic fermentation.

Readers seeking an extensive account of his origins and approach should consult my profile of Bouchard, published in Issue 244 End of August 2019 of The Wine Advocate. My visit to the domaine this spring was the occasion to hear an exciting piece of news: after an exchange of vines, Bouchard is increasing his holdings in lieu-dit Le Creux d’Enfer, and he intends to produce a white wine from this parcel along with the tiny bottling of rosé. I can only imagine that the results will be spectacular. Beyond this exciting development, not much is new. As I’ve written before, since they’re produced from low yields and physiologically mature grapes, and disgorged without dosage, Bouchard’s Champagnes evolve just like still wines, without picking up much of the toasty, empyreumatic nuances derived from Maillard-like reactions and the acid-catalyzed degradation of unfermented sugars that defines the aromatic profile of many Champagnes. This has led some commentators to contend that Bouchard’s wines simply don’t evolve very much, but in my experience, they do, taking on additional weight and texture and accumulating sapid nuance. Some tasting notes on older wines will be coming out soon, but in the meantime, this report covers Bouchard’s new releases.