2013 Cedric Bouchard La Boloree

I often enjoy serving Champagne in the middle of dinner to refresh the palate. Cédric Bouchard’s 2013 Blanc de Blancs La Bolorée does that, and so much more. For starters, the wine is just positively brilliant. Statuesque and enveloping in the glass, the 2013 is a Champagne of pure and exquisite beauty. All of the Bouchard Champagnes are produced in tiny quantities. The La Bolorée, an unusual pure Pinot Blanc, is one of the rarest wines in this range. Most people never even see it. And that is why I wanted it for this dinner. In a word: profound.

From a late harvest spanning the final days of September into early October, the 2013 Blanc de Blancs La Bolorée, disgorged in April 2017, stands as a stylistic counterpoint to the 2012. It opens with notes of peach, white currant and pear mingling with pastry and a hint of yellow cherry plum. On the palate, it’s medium- to full-bodied and taut, with a deep, concentrated core of fruit, lighter structure, considerable tension and ample chalky extract, culminating in a long, intensely saline finish. Among the wines with the lowest pH in the range, it’s more electric than the fuller-bodied 2012 tasted alongside, though also a touch less harmonious.

As it often is, the 2013 Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Blancs La Bolorée is the highlight in a range of magnificent, moving Champagnes. The Bolorée, 100% Pinot Blanc, combines the energy that is present in all of these wines with a kick of textural richness and body that elevates into the stratosphere. Tension, vibrancy and pure power are the signatures. The Bolorée is one of the very finest Champagnes I tasted this year. I rarely miss a chance to drink Cédric Bouchard's La Bolorée, and neither should you. Disgorged in April 2017 with no dosage.