Cédric Bouchard, photo taken from madwine.blogspot.com |
Country of Origin: France
Location: Aube Valley
People: Cédric Bouchard, Winemaker & Owner
Cédric Bouchard is young, talented, and iconoclastic. Though relatively new on the scene (he started his label in
2000), he’s already trying to redefine the centuries-old traditions of Champagne by eschewing blending and focusing
on single-vineyard, single-varietal, single-vintage wines. Perhaps it was this initiative that earned him the title of
Champagne’s finest winemaker by the Gault Millau in 2008.
Bouchard seeks to create wines of individual character and minimal intervention. His wines are made from organically
farmed grapes with highly restricted yields, which ensures that only excellent fruit goes into the wine. He ferments
the first pressing of the juice to preserve its most delicate flavors, and uses only indigenous yeasts for the first
fermentation (neutral yeasts for the second). His wine ferments in steel, and he adds little or no dosage. At every
turn, he aims to preserve the natural qualities of his fruit.
The three bottlings from his own vineyards all sold under his “Roses de Jeanne” label. These include a Blanc de
Noirs from the small vineyard of Les Ursules, which produces annually less than 300 cases; a rosé from the tiny Le
Creux d'Enfer vineyard, made by the saignée method of crushing the Pinot Noir and running off the juice after several
hours of skin contact, with only 300 to 500 bottles are produced annually; and a Blanc de Blancs from the vineyard of
Le Haute-Lemblée, which only produces 500 to 800 per year, as yet unreleased.
Bouchard’s second label, which he calls “Inflorescence,” is made of grapes sourced from his family’s vineyards,
and he employs the same singular focus to the winemaking process. His terroir-driven wines from both labels are
underscored by their long, cool fermentation and delicate bubbles (he’s been said to find bubbles distracting--in fact,
he even recommends gently decanting his wines). Made in miniscule quantities with the utmost care, these wines are
stellar examples of innovative winemaking.
"Readers seeking to discover the finest in Champagne owe it to themselves to check out the wines of Cédric
Bouchard. Minuscule yields, organically farmed old-vine parcels, a non-interventionalist approach in the winery
and cellar and Bouchard’s inspired vision elevate these single-vintage, lieu-dit wines to the summit of Champagne.
The wines are bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with no dosage, leaving only the indelible stamp of vintage, vineyard,
and grape variety as interpreted by this immensely gifted vigneron. For what it is worth, these are some of the most
treasured bottles I own." --Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate 12/2010Media Links
The New York Times Dining & Wine: Champagne's Servants Join the Masters
SFGate: Champagne's Aube region gets a moment to sparkle
ChampagneGuide.net: Cédric Bouchard
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| Current Items from Cedric Bouchard |
| Cat # |
|
Pack-Size |
Net |
Reviews |
| 6888 |
Cedric Bouchard 2006 Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs 'La Parcelle' Champagne AOC |
12-750 |
$840 |
|
| 6885 |
Cedric Bouchard 2011 Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs, Val Vilaine, Champagne AOC |
12-750 |
$600 |
|
| 6887 |
Cedric Bouchard 2009 Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Blancs, La Bolorée, Champagne AOC |
6-750 |
$660 |
AG 95 |
| 6886 |
Cedric Bouchard 2009 Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Blancs, La Haute Lemblé, Champagne AOC |
6-750 |
$540 |
AG 94 |
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