NV Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne No.2

Another superb wine from Cédric Bouchard, the NV RDJ No. 3, unfurls in the glass with a deep, flamboyant bouquet of orange zest, sweet apricot, brioche and lychee, mingling with notes of ripe pear, dried flowers and a faint hint of cacao nib. Full-bodied and multidimensional, it is textural and enveloping, displaying impressive concentration and a mouth-filling core that glides seamlessly across the palate. The wine’s succulent yet racy profile is animated by an ultra-refined, pinpoint mousse, culminating in a long, resonant, orange-inflected finish. This is a brilliant, layered Champagne—at once profound and vibrant—drinking at great generosity. The origins of this cuvée remain anyone’s guess, as Bouchard discloses neither the grape variety, provenance, nor vintage, but based on its profile, I’d be surprised if it were not one of his Pinot Noirs. Expansive and penetrating, its concentration and sheer plenitude place it in a category entirely of its own—an apt description, perhaps, for a wine tasted blind.

As readers will remember, the NV RDJ No. 2 is the latest iteration of a cuvée where Bouchard discloses neither the grape variety, origins, or even, this year, the vintage—it's simply his favorite wine in the cellar at that particular moment, which he wants his clients to taste without any a priori. This release is rich and flamboyant, bursting with aromas of minty pear, orange zest, licorice, freshly baked bread and white flowers. Full-bodied, layered and pillowy, with a rich and layered core of fruit, it's a generous, textural wine that's already showing brilliantly.

The 2018 RDJ No. 1 was inspired by Cédric Bouchard's mother-in-law. "She doesn't care what it is, or where it's from; she just tells me if it's good or not, yes or no," he explains. In that spirit, he elected to select his favorite vat in the cellar and to disclose neither its origins nor encépagement, so everyone who drinks it will be effectively tasting blind. Given the provocative precept, it's no surprise that Bouchard has chosen to launch this new series with one of the finest wines he has produced to date, an expansive, vinous Champagne redolent of peaches, bread dough, baking spices, ripe orchard fruit, mango and toasted nuts. Full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, it's layered and satiny, with a broad attack that segues into a seamless, layered and intensely vinous mid-palate, concluding with a long, resonant finish. This wine simultaneously explodes the concept of terroir and reaffirms it.