2017 - Cedric Bouchard, Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules Blanc de Noirs

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.

We began with the 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules from Cédric Bouchard-Roses de Jeanne, a 2021 disgorgement. This offers a discrete but complex array of scents with fleeting aromas of Japanese yuzu and lemon verbena, even a hint of rosewater in the background. The palate is beautifully balanced with unerring harmony; it’s not intense, yet elegant with just the right amount of bitterness on the finish to keep you on your toes. Elegant and poised, this is drinking beautifully.