2020 Roses de Jeanne - Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Boloree (750ml)

La Bolorée came to Cédric Bouchard almost by chance. The tiny plot was settled between growers by drawing straws, and Bouchard, who initially had little interest in it, ended up with the short straw and the parcel along with it. Decades later, this quarter-hectare site has become one of the most cherished in his entire portfolio, prized for a grape variety, Pinot Blanc, that has all but disappeared from most of Champagne. As with the rest of his range, Bouchard bottles it as a single-vineyard, single-vintage wine with no dosage added.

The vines here are old, planted around 1960, growing on the same organically farmed limestone soils that define Bouchard's other sites in the Côte des Bar. The fruit is picked by hand, pressed for free-run juice only, and fermented without any addition of sugar, resulting in a wine shaped entirely by the site's age and character.

The 2020 opens with aromas of pear, orange zest, fresh bread, and spring flowers, moving into a concentrated, layered palate with a sweet core of fruit balanced by racy acidity and a chalky, saline finish. Serve it with scallop crudo or a well-aged Alpine cheese.